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Abbreviated PTSD Checklist (PCL) as a guide to clinical response.

Lang AJ, Wilkins K, Roy-Byrne PP, Golinelli D, Chavira D, Sherbourne C, Rose RD, Bystritsky A, Sullivan G, Craske MG, Stein MB. Abbreviated PTSD Checklist (PCL) as a guide to clinical response. General hospital psychiatry. 2012 Jul 1; 34(4):332-8.

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Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate two abbreviated versions of the PTSD Checklist (PCL), a self-report measure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, as an index of change related to treatment. METHOD: Data for this study were from 181 primary care patients diagnosed with PTSD who enrolled in a large randomized trial. These individuals received a collaborative care intervention (cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and/or medication) or usual care and were followed 6 and 12 months later to assess their symptoms and functioning. The sensitivity of the PCL versions (i.e., full, two-item, six-item), correlations between the PCL versions and other measures, and use of each as indicators of reliable and clinically significant change were evaluated. RESULTS: All versions had high sensitivity (.92-.99). Correlations among the three versions were high, but the six-item version corresponded more closely to the full version. Both shortened versions were adequate indicators of reliable and clinically significant change. CONCLUSION: Whereas prior research has shown the two-item or six-item versions of the PCL to be good PTSD screening instruments for primary care settings, the six-item version appears to be the better alternative for tracking treatment-related change.





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