title: Screening for trauma histories, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and subthreshold PTSD in psychiatric outpatients.
abstract: The ability of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) module's screening question to identify individuals with PTSD or subthreshold PTSD was examined. First, the screen's sensitivity for detecting a trauma history was determined. Second, the incremental validity of a more thorough trauma assessment was examined by determining how many individuals responded negatively to the screen but then were diagnosed with PTSD or subthreshold PTSD. Last, the optimal SCID termination point for assessing subthreshold PTSD was determined. Using a trauma list increased the number of participants reporting a trauma; however, the SCID screen captured almost all individuals who had PTSD or subthreshold PTSD. When one screens for subthreshold PTSD, the SCID can be terminated on failure to meet Criterion B.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, USA.
authors.forename: C Laurel
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sheeran
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires