PC-PTSD-5
ValidatedPrimary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5)
18+ yearsSelf~2 min6 questions
Sometimes things happen to people that are unusually or especially frightening, horrible, or traumatic. For example: a serious accident or fire; a physical or sexual assault or abuse; an earthquake or flood; a war; seeing someone be killed or seriously injured; having a loved one die through homicide or suicide.
Report details · optional
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About this screener — evidence, source
A trauma-exposure question followed by five yes/no items covering the DSM-5 PTSD clusters (intrusions, avoidance, hyperarousal, numbing, and guilt/blame) over the past month. Developed by the US VA National Center for PTSD to identify probable PTSD; a positive screen needs further assessment.
Evidence · validated
In 398 VA primary-care veterans the PC-PTSD-5 had excellent diagnostic accuracy against a MINI-based PTSD interview (AUC 0.941); a cut-point of 3 maximised sensitivity and 4 maximised efficiency (Prins et al., 2016). In a second VA study of 396 veterans with a blind structured interview, AUC was 0.927; a cut-point of 4 balanced errors overall and for men, while 3 fitted better for women (Bovin et al., JAMA Netw Open 2021).
Source & licence
Prins A, Bovin MJ, Kimerling R, Kaloupek DG, Marx BP, Pless Kaiser A, Schnurr PP. The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) [Measurement instrument]. 2015. Available from https://www.ptsd.va.gov. Prins A, et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2016;31:1206–1211.
Licence: Public domain — developed by staff at the US VA National Center for PTSD and not copyrighted
The VA states that, in line with APA ethical guidelines, the measure is intended for use by qualified health professionals and researchers.
Official source ↗