Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sensitivity and Specificity of the PTSD Checklist in Detecting PTSD in Female Veterans in Primary Care

  • Published:
Journal of Traumatic Stress

Abstract

PTSD affects a substantial number of women in medical settings and is associated with significant distress and impairment. There are effective methods of treating trauma-related distress, but a minority seek such care. Thus, primary care is an important setting in which to identify individuals with PTSD. We sent questionnaires, including the PTSD Checklist—Civilian Version (PCL-C), to 419 female veterans who were seen in our primary care clinic in 1998; 56% (N = 221) returned the measures. A random subset (n = 49) was interviewed to establish psychiatric diagnoses. The results provide qualified support for the use of the PCL-C total score with a lowered cutoff score as a screening measure for PTSD in female veterans in primary care.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrykowski, M. A., Cordova, M. J., Studts, J. L., Miller, T. W. (1998). Posttraumatic stress disorder after treatment for breast cancer: Prevalence of diagnosis and use of the PTSD Checklist—Civilian Version (PCL-C) as a screening instrument. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 586-590.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blake, D. D., Weathers, F. W., Nagy, L. M., Kaloupek, D. G., Charney, D. S., Keane, T. M. (1998). Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV. Boston, MA: National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, E. B., Jones-Alexander, J., Buckley, T. C., Forneris, C. A. (1996). Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34, 669-673.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breslau, N., Davis, G. C., Andreski, P., Peterson, E. (1991). Traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder in an urban population of young adults. Archives of General Psychiatry, 48, 216-222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breslau, N., Davis, G. C., Peterson, E. L., & Schultz, L. (1997). Psychiatric sequelae of posttraumatic stress disorder in women. Archives of General Psychiatry, 54, 81-87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engel, C. C., Engel, A. L., Campbell, S. J., McFall, M. E., Russo, J., Katon, W. (1993). Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and precombat sexual and physical abuse in Desert Storm victims. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 181, 683-688.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falsetti, S. A., Resnick, H. S. (1997). Frequency and severity of panic attack symptoms in a treatment seeking sample of trauma victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 10, 683-689.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frayne, S. M., Skinner, K. M., Sullivan, L. M., Tripp, T. J., Hankin, C. S., Kressin, N. R., et al. (1999). Medical profile of women veterans administration outpatients who report a history of sexual assault occurring while in the military. Journal of Womens Health and Gender Based Medicine, 8, 835-845.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimerling, K., Calhoun, K. S. (1994). Somatic symptoms, social support, and treatment seeking among sexual assault victims. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 333-340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koss, M. P., Koss, P. G., Woodruff, J. (1991). Deleterious effects of criminal victimization on women's health and medical utilization. Archives of Internal Medicine, 151, 342-347.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraemer, H. C. (1992). Evaluating medical tests: Objective and quantitative guidelines. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manne, S. L., Du Hamel, K., Gallelli, K., Sorgen, K., Redd, W. H., (1998). Posttraumatic stress disorder among mothers of pediatric cancer survivors: Diagnosis, comorbidity, and utility of the PTSD Checklist as a screening instrument. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 23, 357-366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merrill, L. L., Newell, C. E., Milner, M. P., Koss, M. P., Hervig, L. K., Gold, S. R., et al. (1998). Prevalence of premilitary adult sexual victimization and aggression in a Navy recruit sample. Military Medicine, 163, 209-212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pini, S., Perkonnig, A., Tansella, M., Wittchen, H.-U. (1999). Prevalence and 12-month outcome of threshold and subthreshold mental disorders in primary care. Journal of Affective Disorders, 56, 37-48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Regier, D. A., Narrow, W. E., Rae, D. S., Manderscheid, R. W., Locke, B. Z., Goodwin, F. K. (1993). The de facto US mental health and addictive disorders service system: Epidemiologic catchment area prospective 1-year prevalence rates of disorders and services. Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 85-94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sackett, D. L., Haynes, R. B., Tugwell, P. (1985). Clinical epidemiology: A basic science for clinical medicine. Boston, MA: Little, Brown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saxe, G., Wolfe, J. (1999). Gender and posttraumatic stress disorder. In P. A. Saigh J. D. Bremner (Eds.), Posttraumatic stress disorder: A comprehensive text (pp. 160-179). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schnurr, P. P., Friedman, M. J., Sengupta, A., Jankowski, M. K., Holmes, T. (2000). PTSD and utilization of medical treatment services among male Vietnam veterans. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 188, 496-504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, S. D., & Davidson, J. R. T., (1997). Trauma: Prevalence, impairment, service use, and cost. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 58(Suppl. 9), 5-11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stamm, B. H. (Ed.). (1996). Measurement of stress, trauma, and adaptation. Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, M. B., McQuaid, J. R., Pedrelli, P., Lenox, R., McCahill, M. E., (2000). Posttraumatic stress disorder in the primary care medical setting. General Hospital Psychiatry, 22, 261-269.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, M. B., Walker, J. R., Forde, D. R., (2000). Gender differences in susceptibility to posttraumatic stress disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38, 619-628.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, M. B., Walker, J. R., Hazen, A. L., Forde, D. R. (1997). Full and partial posttraumatic stress disorder: Findings from a community survey. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 1114-1119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taubman-Ben-Ari, O., Rabinowitz, J., Feldman, D., Vaturi, R. (2001). Post-traumatic stress disorder in primary-care settings: Prevalence and physicians' detection. Psychological Medicine, 31, 555-560.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ware, J. E., Kosinski, M., Keller, S. D., (1994). SF-36 physical and mental health summary scales: A user's manual. Boston, MA: Health Assessment Lab.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ware, J. E., Sherbourne, C. D. (1992). The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36): I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Medical Care, 30, 473-481.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weathers, F., Ford, J. (1996). Psychometric review of PTSD Checklist. In B. H. Stamm (Ed.), Measurement of stress, trauma, and adaptation (pp. 250-251). Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Huska, J. A., Keane, T. M. (1994). The PTSD Checklist—Civilian Version (PCL-C). Boston, MA: National Center for PTSD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittchen, H.-U., Lachner, G., Wunderlich, U., Pfister, H. (1998). Test-retest reliability of the computerized DSM-IV version of the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI). Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 33, 568-578.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (1998). Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), core version 2.1. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California

    Ariel J. Lang

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of California – San Diego, San Diego, California

    Ariel J. Lang, Charlene Laffaye & Murray B. Stein

  3. Nursing Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California

    Leslie E. Satz

  4. Medicine Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California

    Timothy R. Dresselhaus

  5. Department of Medicine, University of California – San Diego, San Diego, California

    Timothy R. Dresselhaus

  6. Psychiatry Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California

    Murray B. Stein

Authors
  1. Ariel J. Lang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Charlene Laffaye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Leslie E. Satz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Timothy R. Dresselhaus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Murray B. Stein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ariel J. Lang.

About this article

Cite this article

Lang, A.J., Laffaye, C., Satz, L.E. et al. Sensitivity and Specificity of the PTSD Checklist in Detecting PTSD in Female Veterans in Primary Care. J Trauma Stress 16, 257–264 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023796007788

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023796007788

Search

Navigation