Description of the measure, including its source, how the items were identified, and psychometric information on its reliability and validity. If this is a screening measure intended to detect cases, be sure to provide information on its accuracy in terms of false positives and false negatives, given usual cutoff points. If this is a measure that might be used to measure change over time in some clinically relevant outcome, be sure to provide information on its ability to detect change. You may need to refer back to the module on Psychometrics in order to see what kind of information is important.
Description of settings in which this measure has been used, and what purposes it appears to serve in assessing older patients and contributing to development of a treatment plan for such patients. Note any limitations in terms of which professionals would be qualified to use and interpret this measure.
The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist For DSM-5 (PCL-5)
Introduction
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental disorder that can arise from
exposure to a traumatic event. It is characterized by symptoms such as re-experiencing,
avoidance, and hyperarousal (Pless Kaiser et al., 2018). The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is a widely used self-report measure for assessing PTSD in various
settings (Van Praag et al., 2020). This work discusses the psychometric properties and diagnostic
utility of the PCL-5 for older adults.
Description of the Measure
The PCL-5 is a 20-item self-report measure that assesses the presence and severity of
PTSD symptoms according to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. The measure is scored on a 5-point
Likert scale, with responses ranging from 0 (“not at all”) to 4 (“extremely”). The items were
identified based on the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD, including intrusive thoughts, avoidance,
negative alterations in mood and cognition, and hyperarousal (Islam et al., 2022). The measure
was developed by the National Center for PTSD and is available free of charge for use in
research and clinical practice.
Psychometric Properties
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•
Reliability: The PCL-5 has been found to have high internal consistency and test-retest
reliability in both clinical and nonclinical samples of older adults. In a study of older
veterans, the PCL-5 had a Cronbach’s alpha of .94, indicating excellent internal
consistency (Nelson et al., 2017). Test-retest reliability over two weeks was also high (r =
.90) in a sample of older adults with a history of interpersonal trauma (Van der Kolk et
al., 2016).
•
Validity: The PCL-5 has been found to have strong convergent and discriminant validity
in older adults. In a study of older adults who had experienced a natural disaster, the
PCL-5 was strongly correlated with other measures of PTSD symptomatology, such as
the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (r = .80), indicating strong convergent validity (Cicero
et al., 2017). Discriminant validity was demonstrated by the weak correlation between the
PCL-5 and measures of depression and anxiety, suggesting that the PCL-5 measures a
unique construct.
•
Accuracy: The PCL-5 has been found to have high accuracy in detecting PTSD in older
adults compared to a clinician-administered interview, the Clinician-Administered PTSD
Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). In a study of older veterans, the PCL-5 had a sensitivity of
0.93 and specificity of 0.81 compared to the CAPS-5, indicating a high level of accuracy
(Nelson et al., 2017).
Settings and Purpose
•
The PCL-5 has been used in various settings, including primary care, mental health
clinics, and veteran healthcare settings. The measure is used to assess PTSD
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symptomatology in older adults and is often used as part of the assessment process to
develop a treatment plan.
•
The measure is also used in research to assess the prevalence of PTSD in older adults
and evaluate interventions’ effectiveness.
Strengths
•
One strength of the PCL-5 is its ease of administration and scoring, making it a practical
tool for clinical settings. The measure is also freely available, which makes it accessible
to a wide range of clinicians and researchers. The PCL-5 has been found to have strong
psychometric properties, including high reliability, validity, and accuracy in detecting
PTSD in older adults. Finally, the measure assesses all of the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria
for PTSD, which ensures that PTSF is identified among the elderly and other population
members.
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References
Cicero, D. C., Neis, A. M., Klaunig, M. J., & Trask, C. L. (2017). The Inventory of PsychoticLike Anomalous Self-Experiences (IPASE): Development and validation. Psychological
Assessment, 29(1), 13.
Islam, Md. S., Ferdous, Most. Z., Sujan, Md. S. H., Tasnim, R., Masud, J. H. B., Kundu, S.,
Mosaddek, A. S. Md., Choudhuri, M. S. K., Kira, I. A., & Gozal, D. (2022). The
psychometric properties of the Bangla Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM5 (PCL-5): preliminary reports from a large-scale validation study. BMC Psychiatry,
22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03920-4
Nelson, J., Klumparendt, A., Doebler, P., & Ehring, T. (2017). Childhood maltreatment and
characteristics of adult depression: a meta-analysis. The British journal of psychiatry : the
journal of mental science, 210(2), 96–104. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.115.180752
Pless Kaiser, A., Cook, J. M., Glick, D. M., & Moye, J. (2018). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in
Older Adults: A Conceptual Review. Clinical Gerontologist, 42(4), 359–376.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2018.1539801
Van Praag, D. L. G., Fardzadeh, H. E., Covic, A., Maas, A. I. R., & von Steinbüchel, N. (2020).
Preliminary validation of the Dutch version of the Posttraumatic stress disorder checklist
for DSM-5 (PCL-5) after traumatic brain injury in a civilian population. PLOS ONE,
15(4), e0231857. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231857
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Appendix
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