The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5): Development and Evaluation Within a Veteran Primary Care Sample

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased health care utilization, medical morbidity, and tobacco and alcohol use. Consequently, screening for PTSD has become increasingly common in primary care clinics, especially in Veteran healthcare settings where trauma exposure among patients is common. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to revise the Primary Care PTSD screen (PC-PTSD) to reflect the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for PTSD (PC-PTSD-5) and to examine both the diagnostic accuracy and the patient acceptability of the revised measure. DESIGN: We compared the PC-PTSD-5 results with those from a brief psychiatric interview for PTSD. Participants also rated screening preferences and acceptability of the PC-PTSD-5. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 398 Veterans participated in the study (response rate = 41 %). Most of the participants were male, in their 60s, and the majority identified as non-Hispanic White. MEASURES: The PC-PTSD-5 was used as the screening measure, a modified version of the PTSD module of the MINI-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to diagnose DSM-5 PTSD, and five brief survey items were used to assess acceptability and preferences. Patients found the screen acceptable and indicated a preference for administration by their primary care providers as opposed to by other providers or via self-report.

Resilience-based intervention for UK military recruits: a randomised controlled trial

“…Symptoms of common mental disorder were measured using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire8 using ≥4 scale item endorsements to indicate symptoms of common mental disorder; symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were measured using the five item Primary Care PTSD scale using ≥3 symptom endorsements to indicate possible caseness9; alcohol use was measured using the three-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) 10. Cut-off scores for possible alcohol use were ≥4 for women and ≥5 for men 11…”

The Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Primary Care: A Systematic Review

“…Understanding the rates of PTSD in primary care settings can facilitate the selection and use of a standard screening tool (such as the PC-PTSD-5) 11 and clinically useful algorithms for patients with PTSD served in primary care clinics. Effective screening tools and treatment protocols for stepped care 12 models are especially important in light of increased behavioral health integration efforts in primary care settings across the U.S.…”

Reaching Those At Risk for Psychiatric Disorders and Suicidal Ideation: Facebook Advertisements to Recruit Military Veterans (Preprint)

“…For PTSD, we used the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD), a five-item scale assessing past-month symptoms of a lifetime traumatic event. A score of three or higher on the PC-PTSD indicates a positive screen [37]. For alcohol misuse, we used the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Alcohol Consumption Questions (AUDIT-C), a three-item scale on frequency and intensity of drinking.…”