Validating the Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screen and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist with soldiers returning from combat.

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to assess the diagnostic efficiency of the Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screen (PC-PTSD) and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL) as clinical screening tools for active duty soldiers recently returned from a combat deployment. A secondary goal was to examine the item-level characteristics of both the PC-PTSD and the PCL. A validation study conducted with a sample of 352 service members showed that both the PC-PTSD and PCL had good diagnostic efficiency. The overall diagnostic efficiency assessed by the area under the curve (AUC) was virtually the same for both the PC-PTSD and PCL. The most efficient cutoff values for the PC-PTSD were either 2 or 3 "yes" responses with the latter favoring specificity. For the PCL, the most efficient cutoff values were between 30 and 34, mirroring recommended PCL cutoff values from some studies in primary care settings. The examination of item characteristics suggested a 4-item PCL with an AUC virtually identical to that of the full PCL. Item analyses also identified that the most discriminate item in both scales pertained to symptoms of avoidance. Implications and limitations are discussed.

But were you drunk? Intoxication during sexual assault in Norway

“…Cronbach’s alpha was 0.91. PTS was measured by PCL-6, a short version (Lang & Stein, 2005) of the PTSD Check List (PCL for DSM IV) (Bliese et al, 2008). Cronbach’s alpha was 0.84.…”

Brain‐derived neurotropic factor polymorphisms, traumatic stress, mild traumatic brain injury, and combat exposure contribute to postdeployment traumatic stress

“…Suggested cut‐point scores ≥30 have the best sensitivity and specificity for screening active‐duty military service members for traumatic stress (Bliese et al. 2008). …”

The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5): Development and Evaluation Within a Veteran Primary Care Sample

“…2,[11][12][13] Further, Freedy and his colleagues found that the PC-PTSD performed similarly to the PTSD Checklist -Civilian version (PCL-C) 2 , a wellestablished longer measure of PTSD that assesses the full range of symptoms. 14,15 Because the PC-PTSD has demonstrated excellent diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility with various groups of primary care patients, 2,9,16,17 it is mandated for use in VA and DoD settings. 18,19 In 2013, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) 20 introduced significant revisions to the PTSD diagnosis based on research suggesting that these changes better reflect the PTSD latent construct.…”