title: Investigation of abbreviated 4 and 8 item versions of the PTSD Checklist 5.
abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant public health concern associated with marked impairment across the lifespan. Exposure to traumatic events alone, however, is insufficient to determine if an individual has PTSD. PTSD is a heterogeneous diagnosis such that assessment of all 20 symptoms is problematic in time-limited treatment settings. Brief assessment tools that identify those at risk for PTSD and measure symptom severity are needed to improve access to care and assess treatment response. The present study evaluated abbreviated measures of PTSD symptoms derived from the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) - a 20-item validated measure of PTSD symptoms - across two studies. In the first, using a community sample of adults exposed to a traumatic event, 4-and 8-item versions of the PCL-5 were identified that were highly correlated with the full PCL-5. In the second, using a sample of combat veterans, the 4-and 8-item measures had comparable diagnostic utility to the total-scale PCL-5. These results provide support for an abbreviated measure of the PCL-5 as an alternative to the 20-item total scale.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA. Electronic address: Matthew.Price@uvm.edu.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Service, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Derek D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Szafranski
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: van Stolk-Cooke
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Service, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Gros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D057189:Checklist / Q000379:methods*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Assessment; PTSD; Screening instruments