title: Sensitivity and specificity of the PTSD checklist in detecting PTSD in female veterans in primary care.
abstract: PTSD affects a substantial number of women in medical settings and is associated with significant distress and impairment. There are effective methods of treating trauma-related distress, but a minority seek such care. Thus, primary care is an important setting in which to identify individuals with PTSD. We sent questionnaires, including the PTSD Checklist--Civilian Version (PCL-C), to 419 female veterans who were seen in our primary care clinic in 1998; 56% (N = 221) returned the measures. A random subset (n = 49) was interviewed to establish psychiatric diagnoses. The results provide qualified support for the use of the PCL-C total score with a lowered cutoff score as a screening measure for PTSD in female veterans in primary care.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, USA. ajlang@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Ariel J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Charlene
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Laffaye
authors.forename: Leslie E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Satz
authors.forename: Timothy R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Dresselhaus
authors.forename: Murray B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Stein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health