Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in cancer: psychometric analysis of the Spanish Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian version.
OBJECTIVE
The PTSD Checklist-Civilian version (PCL-C) was used as a screening tool to assess the presence of PTSD symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore the factorial structure of the Spanish version of the PCL-C and calculate the correlation of PTSD symptoms with distress and health-related quality of life.


METHODS
The sample included 494 cancer outpatients. In order to validate the PCL-C, a principal component analysis was applied. The association between variable was measured by Pearson correlation.


RESULTS
Findings evidenced three symptoms clusters on the PCL-C version, defined as Hyperarousal/Re-experiencing, Numbing and Avoidance. About 10% of the total sample met clinical PTSD symptoms. In addition, PTSD symptoms were related negatively to health-related quality of life and positively related with distress.


CONCLUSIONS
The conceptualization of PTSD symptoms for cancer patients is supported by the specific symptom clusters identified on PCL-C.
Costa-Requena
Gema
G
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital of Mataró, Barcelona, Spain. gcosta@csdm.cat
Gil
Francisco
F
D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D013030:Spain; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires