User:Alexmjul/sandbox

The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)
The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is a free, easy to administer measure of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms as described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria. Developed in 1990 at the National Center for PTSD then adapted to the newly published DSM-5 in 2015, the PCL-5 is a widely used screener with both civilian and military populations. The PCL-5 is a self-report measure and takes about five to ten minutes to complete. Possible responses range from 0 - 4 (0= “Not at all” to 4= “Extremely”) with total scores ranging from 0 – 80. A score of 33 is considered the clinical cut-off, or point at which a provisional diagnosis of PTSD can be given .

Psychometrics
When adapted to the DSM-5 in 2015, the PCL-5 used a sample of 836 college students (29% male, 71% female, 81% White, 11.5% Black) and 468 veterans (88% male, 12% female, 60% White, 25% Black) for its norm reference groups (2nd, 3rd citations). Among both samples, the PCL-5 had excellent internal consistency (α=.94 and α=.96 for the college and veteran groups, respectively), good test-retest reliability (r=.82 and r=.84), and good convergent and discriminant validity. It should be noted, however, that the measure is quite new and continued validation research is being conducted.

Availability
The PCL-5 can be found at www.ptsd.va.gov and is free of charge. It requires no previous training to administer/take, but should be scored by a clinician.