Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL)

Summary

This 17-item self-report scale for PTSD is based on DSM-IV criteria and takes 5-7 mins to complete. There are slightly different versions for use with military or civilian populations, as well as an adult version focused on a "specific stressful experience".

Author/publisher details

National Center for PTSD, Boston, USA.
http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/

Date

1993

Description

The PCL is a 17-item self-report checklist of PTSD symptoms based closely on the DSM-IV criteria.

Respondents rate each item from 1 ("not at all) to 5 ("extremely") to indicate the degree to which they have been bothered by that particular symptom over the past month.

Three versions of the PCL are available, although the differences are slight. The PCL-M is a military version and questions refer to "a stressful military experience". The PCL-C is a general civilian version that is not linked to a specific event; the questions refer to "a stressful experience from the past". The PCL-S can be referenced to any specific traumatic event; participants are asked to nominate the event and questions refer to "the stressful experience". Scoring is the same for all three versions.

Scoring and Psychometrics

Scoring
Respondents rate each item from 1 ("not at all") to 5 ("extremely") to indicate the degree to which they have been bothered by that particular symptom over the past month. Thus, total possible scores range from 17 to 85. Notwithstanding the fact that self-report scales should not be used to make a formal diagnosis, the PCL has shown good diagnostic utility, with Weathers et al. (1993) recommending a cut-off score of 50 as optimal for indicating a probable diagnosis of combat-related PTSD. An alternative strategy is to use individual items according to the DSM criteria (i.e., at least one symptom from items 1 - 5, and at least three from items 6 - 12, and at least two from items 13 - 17). They suggest a cut off score of 3 or more for each item as being most appropriate for this approach.

Psychometrics
The PCL has demonstrated strong psychometric properties. Estimates of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) range between .94 (Blanchard et al, 1996) to .97 (Weathers et al. 1993) . Test-retest reliability has been reported as .96 at 2-3 days and .88 at 1 week (Blanchard et al.,1996; Ruggiero et al.,2003).

The PCL correlates positively with the Mississippi PTSD Scale with convergent validity of between r = .85 and .93 (Weathers et al, 1993). Strong correlations have also been reported with MMPI-2 Keane PTSD Scale (.77), IES (.77-.90) and CAPS .92 (Blanchard et. al., 1996)

A cutoff score of 50 for a PTSD diagnosis has demonstrated good sensitivity (.78 to .82) and specificity (.83 to .86). Lowering the cutoff score to 44 revealed better sensitivity (.94), specificity (.86) and overall diagnostic efficiency (.90) with MVA victims (Blanchard et. al., 1996).

Key/core References

Blanchard, E. B., Jones Alexander, J., Buckley, T. C., & Forneris, C. A. (1996). Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34, 669-673.

Forbes, D., Creamer, M., & Biddle, D. (2001). The validity of the PTSD checklist as a measure of symptomatic change in combat-related PTSD. Behaviour Research & Therapy, 39, 977-986.

Ruggiero, K. J., Del Ben, K., Scotti, J. R., & Rabalais, A. E. (2003). Psychometric Properties of the PTSD Checklist--Civilian Version. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 16, 495-502.

Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Herman, D. S., Huska, J. A., & Keane, T. M. (1993). The PTSD Checklist (PCL): Reliability, validity, and diagnostic utility. Paper presented at the 9th Annual Conference of the ISTSS, San Antonio, TX.

Further Information

(e.g., Links)

Additional information has been compiled on the Measurement Experts site: http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/
assmnts/ptsd_checklist_pcl.html

View manual

No manual exists for the PCL; it is used in the same way as other self report scales and is self explanatory. For advice on interpretation, see above and refer to key references.

View tool

This resource should be used in an ethical and responsible manner and should be used only for the purpose(s) for which it has demonstrable validity. Please observe copyright where indicated and reference it appropriately.

ISTSS Members: Download PCL-C
ISTSS Members: Download PCL-M
ISTSS Members: Download PCL-S