Adult Trauma Assessments

The Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) is based on the DSM-5 and is the gold standard in PTSD assessment. It can be administered by clinicians and clinical researchers (or appropriately trained paraprofessionals) who have a working knowledge of PTSD.

The Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS) is a brief instrument meant to screen for a range of trauma-related psychological problems, as well as for risk and protective factors. It was developed by an international group of experts representing traumatic stress societies worldwide and is available in more than 25 languages.

The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) is a five-item screen that was designed for use in primary care settings to identify respondents with probable PTSD. Those screening positive require further assessment, preferably with a structured interview such as the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). 

The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is a 20-item self-report measure that assesses the 20 DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD. It has a variety of purposes such as monitoring symptom change during and after treatment, screening individuals for PTSD, and making a provisional PTSD diagnosis.

The Posttraumatic Symptom Scale-Interview Version for DSM-5 (PSS-I-5) is a widely utilized PTSD measure administered by an interviewer. It is a semi-structured interview providing a categorical diagnosis, as well as a measure of the severity of PTSD symptoms as defined by DSM-5. It can be administered by any trained person and takes 15-25 minutes.

The Posttrauma Risky Behaviors Questionnaire (PRBQ) is a self-report measure assessing PTSD’s E2 Criterion, or the extent of engaging in posttrauma reckless and self-destructive behaviors (RSDBs). There is no specific training needed for its administration. 

The Structured Trauma-Related Experiences & Symptoms Screener (STRESS) for adults is a 10- to 15-minute self-report instrument designed to assess (1) lifetime exposure to several domains of potentially traumatic and other adverse experiences and age of occurrence (52 items), (2) PTSD symptoms that map onto symptom criteria defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 5th Edition (DSM-5) and applicable to one or more traumatic events (25 items), and functional impairment (6 items).

The Trauma-related Cognitions and Beliefs scale (TRCS) is a self-administered assessment for clinical and non-clinical individuals, 18 years of age and older. It provides a measure of trauma-related beliefs associated with the following cognitive processes: overaccommodation, assimilation, accommodation, and optimism.