title: Diagnostic accuracy of Japanese posttraumatic stress measures after a complex disaster: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist (PCL) has been widely used among traumatized populations to screen people with PTSD; however, the Japanese version of the PCL has yet to be validated. We examined the diagnostic accuracy of the Japanese version PCL-Specific (PCL-S) and the abbreviated versions of the PCL-S among the evacuees of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one participants were recruited from an evacuee and clinical sample. The PCL-S, Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview were administered. Screening properties of the PCL-S, IES-R, and abbreviated PCL-S against PTSD diagnosis, including sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic efficiency, were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn, and optimal cutoff points were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic efficiency of the PCL-S were 66.7%, 84.9%, and 79.2%, respectively (at 52, the area under the curve was 0.83). The cutoff point method for the PCL-S performed better than did the symptom cluster method. The screening properties of the abbreviated versions were comparable with those of the full version.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Japanese version of the PCL-S showed moderate diagnostic accuracy and improved performance over the IES-R for PTSD diagnosis based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition. The Japanese version of the PCL-S was a reliable and valid measure, and its diagnostic accuracy was reasonable for both full and abbreviated versions.
authors: Department of Adult Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Yuriko
authors: Y
authors: Suzuki
authors: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan.
authors: Hirooki
authors: H
authors: Yabe
authors: Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan.
authors: Naoko
authors: N
authors: Horikoshi
authors: Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan.
authors: Seiji
authors: S
authors: Yasumura
authors: Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Norito
authors: N
authors: Kawakami
authors: Department of Radiation Health Management, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan.
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Ohtsuru
authors: Fukushima Prefecture Developmental Disability Support Center, Koriyama, Fukushima, Japan.
authors: Hirobumi
authors: H
authors: Mashiko
authors: Department of Disaster Psychiatry, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan.
authors: Masaharu
authors: M
authors: Maeda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Fukushima Nuclear Accident; mass screening; posttraumatic stress disorders; receiver operating characteristic curve; sensitivity and specificity