South Korean validation of the COVID-related-PTSD scale in a non-clinical sample exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The threat of COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea and around the globe challenged not only physical health but also mental health, increasing the chances of disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Such pandemic situation can be referred to a traumatic event for citizens. The present study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5), which is named the K-COVID-related-PTSD. The scale measures PTSD symptomology in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. A total of 1434 South Korean citizens were included in this study. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and Mplus 8.0. The results of confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a superior fit for the seven-factor hybrid model (x2 = 1425.445 (df = 149), CFI = 0.950, TLI = 0.937, SRMR = 0.033, RMSEA = 0.077) consisting of re-experiencing, negative affect, anxious arousal, dysphoric arousal, avoidance, anhedonia, and externalizing behaviors. Furthermore, the K-COVID-related-PTSD showed a satisfactory level of internal consistency (α = 0.793 to α = 0.939) with good convergent and discriminant validity. Finally, concurrent validity was confirmed by the significant correlations with all the negative mental health outcomes, such as PTSD symptoms, somatization, depression, anxiety, anger, negative affect, job burnout, and suicidal ideation. Overall, the current results demonstrate the K-COVID-related-PTSD is a valid scale and therefore has important implications for future pandemic-related studies.

Characteristics of long COVID and the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on long COVID 2 years following COVID-19 infection: prospective cohort study

“…The PCL-5-K consists of five, single-factor items scored dichotomously as either “yes” (1 point) or “no” (0 points). Higher scores indicate more severe symptoms, and 3 is the cutoff score for significant PTSD 26 . In addition to using these standardized scales, we also evaluated other changes in lifestyle habits potentially related to long COVID.…”

“…Total score can range from 0 to 27, with high scores indicating more severe depression. Based on the original validation studies, the total score is then interpreted to represent no (0-4), mild (5)(6)(7)(8)(9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), moderately severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19), or severe (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27) depression. A cutoff score of 10 suggests a possible diagnosis of depressive disorder 25 .…”