Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
Volume 39, Issue 2 , Pages 105-113, September 2010

Validation of the Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder screening questionnaire (PC-PTSD) in civilian substance use disorder patients

  • Debora van Dam, M.Sc.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Roetersstraat 15, 1018 WB Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    • Jellinek curative care, Arkin, Postbus 3907, 1001 AS Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Roetersstraat 15, 1018 WB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 20 525 6810/590 1521; fax: +31 20 639 1369.
    • ,
  • Thomas Ehring, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Roetersstraat 15, 1018 WB Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    • ,
  • Ellen Vedel, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Jellinek curative care, Arkin, Postbus 3907, 1001 AS Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    • ,
  • Paul M.G. Emmelkamp, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Roetersstraat 15, 1018 WB Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Received 23 December 2009; received in revised form 16 April 2010; accepted 3 May 2010. published online 05 July 2010.

Abstract 

This study aimed to cross-validate and extend earlier findings regarding the diagnostic efficiency of the four-item Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screen (PC-PTSD) as a screening questionnaire for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among civilian patients with substance use disorder (SUD). The PC-PTSD was originally developed in a Veteran Affairs primary care setting (Prins, Ouimette, Kimerling, Cameron, Hugelshofer, Shaw-Hegwer, et al., 2004) and has been widely used in the U.S. army. The diagnostic efficiency of the screener was compared to those of an extended eight-item version of the PC-PTSD and the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS). The sample consisted of 142 participants with SUD and most of the participants (89%) were still using substances in the month preceding the assessment. Results showed a high sensitivity (.86) and moderate specificity (.57) for the PC-PTSD when using a cutoff score of 2. The diagnostic efficiency of the PC-PTSD was equivalent to the extended eight-item version and the 17-item PDS. Results suggest that the original PC-PTSD is a useful screening instrument for PTSD within a civilian SUD population. These findings have important clinical implications because screening for PTSD among patients with SUD is crucial to ascertain appropriate treatment allocation.

Keywords: Posttraumatic stress disorder, Substance use disorders, Comorbidity, Screening, Detection

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PII: S0740-5472(10)00099-1

doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2010.05.005

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
Volume 39, Issue 2 , Pages 105-113, September 2010

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