Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article

The German version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): psychometric properties and diagnostic utility

Authors: Antje Krüger-Gottschalk, Christine Knaevelsrud, Heinrich Rau, Anne Dyer, Ingo Schäfer, Julia Schellong, Thomas Ehring

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist (PCL, now PCL-5) has recently been revised to reflect the new diagnostic criteria of the disorder.

Methods

A clinical sample of trauma-exposed individuals (N = 352) was assessed with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) and the PCL-5. Internal consistencies and test-retest reliability were computed. To investigate diagnostic accuracy, we calculated receiver operating curves. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed to analyze the structural validity.

Results

Results showed high internal consistency (α = .95), high test-retest reliability (r = .91) and a high correlation with the total severity score of the CAPS-5, r = .77. In addition, the recommended cutoff of 33 on the PCL-5 showed high diagnostic accuracy when compared to the diagnosis established by the CAPS-5. CFAs comparing the DSM-5 model with alternative models (the three-factor solution, the dysphoria, anhedonia, externalizing behavior and hybrid model) to account for the structural validity of the PCL-5 remained inconclusive.

Conclusions

Overall, the findings show that the German PCL-5 is a reliable instrument with good diagnostic accuracy. However, more research evaluating the underlying factor structure is needed.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
2
Note, however, that three studies [16, 18, 19] were based on the same population.
 
3
The linear dependency also remained when items were recoded into binary items.
 
Literature
1.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Fifth ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2013.CrossRef
2.
Friedman MJ. Finalizing PTSD in DSM-5: getting here from there and where to go next. J Trauma Stress. 2013;26:548–56.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Weathers FW, Litz BT, Huska JA, Keane TM. PTSD checklist for DSM-IV (PCL). Boston, MA: National Center for PTSD; 1994.
4.
Weathers FW, Litz B, Keane TM, Palmieri PA, Marx BP, Schnurr PP. The PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). National Center for PTSD: Boston, MA; 2013.
5.
Wortmann JH, Jordan AH, Weathers FW, Resick PA, Dondanville KA, Hall-Clark B, Foa EB, Young-McCaughan S, Yarvis JS, Hembree EA et al: Psychometric Analysis of the PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5) Among Treatment-Seeking Military Service Members. Psychol Assess. 2016;28:1392–403.
6.
Bovin MJ, Marx BP, Weathers FW, Gallagher MW, Rodriguez P, Schnurr PP, Keane TM. Psychometric properties of the PTSD checklist for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders–fifth edition (PCL-5) in veterans. Psychol Assess. 2016;28:1379–91.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Marmar CR, Schlenger W, Henn-Haase C, Qian M, Purchia E, Li M, Corry N, Williams CS, Ho CL, Horesh D, et al. Course of posttraumatic stress disorder 40 years after the Vietnam war: findings from the National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study. JAMA psychiatry. 2015;72:875–81.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Blevins CA, Weathers FW, Davis MT, Witte TK, Domino JL. The posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): development and initial psychometric evaluation. J Trauma Stress. 2015;28:489–98.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Sveen J, Bondjers K, Willebrand M. Psychometric properties of the PTSD checklist for DSM-5: a pilot study. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2016;7:30165.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Liu P, Wang L, Cao C, Wang R, Zhang J, Zhang B, Wu Q, Zhang H, Zhao Z, Fan G, et al. The underlying dimensions of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in an epidemiological sample of Chinese earthquake survivors. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2014;28:345–51.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Wang L, Zhang L, Armour C, Cao C, Qing Y, Zhang J, Liu P, Zhang B, Wu Q, Zhao Z, et al. Assessing the underlying dimensionality of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms in Chinese adolescents surviving the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. J Anxiety Disord. 2015;31:90–7.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Weathers FW, Blake DD, Schnurr PP, Kaloupek DG, Marx BP, Keane TM. The clinician-administered PTSD scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). National Center for PTSD: Boston, MA; 2013.
13.
Elhai JD, Palmieri PA. The factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder: a literature update, critique of methodology, and agenda for future research. Journal of Anxiety Disorder. 2011;25:849–54.CrossRef
14.
15.
Armour C, Tsai J, Durham TA, Charak R, Biehn TL, Elhai JD, Pietrzak RH. Dimensional structure of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress symptoms: support for a hybrid Anhedonia and externalizing behaviors model. J Psychiatr Res. 2015;61:106–13.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Keane TM, Rubin A, Lachowicz M, Brief D, Enggasser JL, Roy M, Hermos J, Helmuth E, Rosenbloom D. Temporal stability of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder criteria in a problem-drinking sample. Psychol Assess. 2014;26:1138–45.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
17.
Pietrzak RH, Tsai J, Armour C, Mota N, Harpaz-Rotem I, Southwick SM. Functional significance of a novel 7-factor model of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms: results from the National Health and resilience in veterans study. J Affect Disord. 2015;174:522–6.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Armour C, Contractor A, Shea T, Elhai JD, Pietrzak RH. Factor structure of the PTSD checklist for DSM-5: relationships among symptom clusters, anger, and impulsivity. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2016;204:108–15.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Tsai J, Harpaz-Rotem I, Armour C, Southwick SM, Krystal JH, Pietrzak RH. Dimensional structure of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: results from the national health and resilience in veterans study. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2015;76:546–53.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Simms LJ, Watson D, Doebbelling BN. Confirmatory factor analyses of posttraumatic stress symptoms in deployed and nondeployed veterans of the Gulf war. J Abnorm Psychol. 2002;111:637–47.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Elhai JD, Biehn TL, Armour C, Klopper JJ, Frueh BC, Palmieri PA. Evidence for a unique PTSD construct represented by PTSD's D1-D3 symptoms. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2011;25:340–5.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Shevlin M, Hyland P, Karatzias T, Bisson JI, Roberts NP. Examining the disconnect between psychometric models and clinical reality of posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2017;47:54–9.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Weathers FW, Blake DD, Schnurr PP, Kaloupek DG, Marx BP, Keane TM. The life events checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5). National Center for PTSD: Boston, MA; 2013.
24.
Schnyder U. The clinician-administered PTSD scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5), German version. In: Unpublished manuscript; 2013.
25.
Beck AT, Steer RA, Brown GK. Beck depression inventory-II manual. 2nd ed. San Antonio: Psychological Corporation; 1996.
26.
Hautzinger M, Keller F, Kühner C. Beck depressions-Inventar (BDI-II). Frankfurt: Harcourt Test Services; 2006.
27.
Derogatis LR, Melisaratos N. The brief symptom inventory: an introductory report. Psychol Med. 1983;13:565–605.CrossRef
28.
Franke GH. BSI. Brief symptom inventory - deutsche version. Manual. Göttingen: Beltz; 2000.
29.
Kuhner C, Burger C, Keller F, Hautzinger M. Reliability and validity of the revised Beck depression inventory (BDI-II). Results from German samples. Nervenarzt. 2007;78:651–6.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Derogatis LR. Brief symptom inventory: administration, scoring and procedures manual. 4th ed. Minneapolis: NCS, Pearson, Inc.; 1993.
31.
Muthén LK, Muthén BO: Mplus user's guide. Los Angeles: Author; 1998-2012.
32.
Hu L, Bentler PM. Cutoff criteria in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct Equ Model. 1999;6:1–55.CrossRef
33.
34.
Clark LA, Watson D. Constructing validity: basic issues in objective scale development. Psychol Assess. 1995;7:309–19.CrossRef
35.
Baldessarini RJ, Finkelstein S, Arana GW. The predictive power of diagnostic tests and the effect of prevalence of illness. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1983;4:569–73.CrossRef
36.
Brewin CR, Rose S, Andrews B. Screening to identify individuals at risk after exposure to trauma. In: Orner R, Schnyder U, editors. Reconstructing early intervention after trauma. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; 2003. p. 130–42.
37.
Armour C, Fried EI, Deserno MK, Tsai J, Pietrzak RH. A network analysis of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and correlates in U.S. military veterans. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2017;45:49–59.CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
The German version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): psychometric properties and diagnostic utility
Authors
Antje Krüger-Gottschalk
Christine Knaevelsrud
Heinrich Rau
Anne Dyer
Ingo Schäfer
Julia Schellong
Thomas Ehring
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1541-6

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

BMC Psychiatry 1/2017 Go to the issue

Research article

Comparison of demographic characteristics and psychiatric comorbidity among methamphetamine-, heroin- and methamphetamine-heroin co- dependent males in Hunan, China

Research article

Early response in cognitive-behavior therapy for syndromes of medically unexplained symptoms

Research article

ADHD, comorbid disorders and psychosocial functioning: How representative is a child cohort study? Findings from a national patient registry

Research article

The content of delusions in a sample of South African Xhosa people with schizophrenia

Research article

Prevalence and associated factors of alexithymia among adult prisoners in China: a cross-sectional study

Research article

Correct recognition and continuum belief of mental disorders in a nursing student population