title: Screening for depression and PTSD in a Cambodian population unaffected by war: comparing the Hopkins Symptom Checklist and Harvard Trauma Questionnaire with the structured clinical interview.
abstract: The Hopkins Symptom Checklist depression scale (HSCL-D) and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) have been used extensively in international studies, particularly among refugees and conflict-affected populations. Like many other screening measures, however, the HSCL-D and HTQ have not been subjected to extensive epidemiologic testing, particularly among communities not affected by war. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the HSCL-D and HTQ by comparing the measures with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) among ethnic Cambodians living in Surin, Thailand, a community that was spared the long period of mass violence that affected Cambodia proper. The PTSD data of the HTQ were then contrasted with those obtained from a refugee clinic. The main finding was that in the Surin study, the screening measures showed greater agreement with the SCID in identifying noncases (negative prediction) than cases (positive prediction). In contrast, in the earlier clinic study, the HTQ showed high positive and moderately low negative prediction. The results support previous observations that clinical interviews such as the SCID may be more conservative in identifying cases. We raise the possibility, however, that structured interviews may perform differently across clinic and community populations. In particular, clinicians may be more accurate in identifying cases than noncases in highly symptomatic clinic populations, with the converse applying in low prevalence community populations. These issues warrant further investigation to specify more clearly the value of using the two approaches to case identification.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, and Centre for Population Mental Health Research, Sydney South West Area Health Service, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Derrick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Silove
authors.forename: Vijaya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Manicavasagar
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mollica
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thai
authors.forename: Dorani
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Khiek
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lavelle
authors.forename: Svang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tor
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002160:Cambodia / Q000208:ethnology; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology