Sensitivity and specificity of the PTSD checklist in detecting PTSD in female veterans in primary care

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
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.