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If you are in an immediate crisis, please go to your nearest Emergency Room, or call 911, or call 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) to talk to someone right now. FAQs About PTSD Assessment: For ProfessionalsThis fact sheet provides professionals with answers to their frequently asked questions about assessment. What is the difference between a trauma exposure measure and a PTSD measure?The purpose of a trauma exposure measure is to identify what traumatic events an individual has experienced; the purpose of a PTSD measure is to determine whether the person has PTSD symptoms related to one of the identified events. There are a variety of trauma exposure measures. Some are very broad and assess a range of negative life events as well as traumatic experiences. Others have a narrower focus and only assess Criterion A traumas that involve life threat. Similarly, there are a range of PTSD measures that can be broad enough to include symptoms other than those related to PTSD. There are also PTSD measures that are more focused on the 17 PTSD symptoms needed to make a diagnosis. In most cases, a thorough PTSD assessment involves the use of both a broad measure and a more focused measure. What are the main differences among PTSD measures?PTSD measures vary in a number of ways. There are some basic differences to consider in terms of the (1) time required to administer the measure, (2) complexity of the format, (3) reading level of the person to be assessed, and (4) cost of use. Format is an import difference among measures. Measure formats range from 17-item self-report measures with a single rating for each item, to structured interviews with detailed inquiries about each symptom and interviewer ratings regarding the validity of reports. Structured interviews also differ in (1) whether they have a single gate-keeping item, (2) the level of sophistication for assessing each PTSD symptom, and (3) how well the ratings reflect symptom severity and/or frequency. Although interview measures require more interviewer training and administration time, they result in a more comprehensive assessment of PTSD. The right measure for a particular purpose depends on your goal. If you want a quick screen, a self-report measure may be best. However, if you are conducting a PTSD treatment study, you may want a sensitive interview that assesses for frequency and severity of symptoms. What are the main differences among trauma exposure measures?Trauma exposure measures differ a great deal in length, the range of trauma types assessed, and the degree of detailed inquiry about each traumatic event. Many simply assess exposure to high-magnitude stressors that could cause traumatic stress, and others have detailed questions to follow up endorsed events. For example, one measure may have detailed questions about certain elements of an interpersonal violence experience, and another measure may only require a 'yes' or 'no' to the question of whether the person was exposed to a particular type of interpersonal violence. Some measures have been better validated than other measures, and some differ as to whether they assess the nature, degree, and duration of emotional responses to the stressor. What is the best measure for assessing PTSD symptoms?Although we are frequently asked this question, there is no one 'best' PTSD measure. The best measure really depends on what you need. Some important considerations in choosing a PTSD measure include: the time required to administer the measure, the reading level of the population being sampled, whether the desire is to assess symptoms related to a single traumatic event or to assess symptoms related to multiple traumatic events (or to assess symptoms when the trauma history is unknown), the need for the assessment to correspond to DSM criteria for PTSD, the psychometric strengths and weaknesses of the measure, and the cost of using the measure. In addition, it is important that the overall complexity and language of the measure be appropriate to the population being sampled. If you are looking to make a diagnosis of PTSD (rather than simply assessing symptoms), in general, structured interviews will yield more valid results than other types of measures. An exception is that structured interviews that begin with a single gate-keeping item have poor validity for particular types of traumatic experiences. Also, structured interviews with brief, single-item, closed-ended questions for each PTSD symptom are likely to be no more valid for making a diagnosis than self-report measures. Lastly, the validity of a structured interview will be greatly affected by the level of training of the interviewer. If interviewers do not have specific training in mental disorders, clinical assessment, traumatic stress, and administration of the particular structured interview being used, results of the interview may be invalid. Brief scales and self-report measures cannot be used to establish a diagnosis of PTSD because there is too much chance for error in responses. How do I choose a measure to assess trauma history?It is difficult to assess trauma history because researchers cannot firmly establish the validity of trauma-exposure measures. It is so difficult to determine whether trauma reports are accurate that the validity of even the best measures has not been very rigorously studied. That being said, it seems likely that trauma-exposure assessments will have some validity, and their clinical relevance makes them necessary. In choosing a measure of trauma history or exposure, there is generally a trade-off between the specificity of the assessed traumatic events and the length of the assessments. Measures that query about the widest range of potentially traumatic events, and presumably yield the most accurate reports, will be the longest. Measures that are quick and easy will inquire very broadly about types of events and may 'miss' idiosyncratic traumatic events. Thus, in choosing a trauma-exposure measure for research, investigators will typically need to weigh the need for a detailed trauma-exposure assessment against the time limitations for the administration. Another consideration is whether the researcher is more interested in data regarding exposure to potentially traumatic (or high-magnitude) stressors or regarding exposures that resulted in significant emotional responses. Only a few measures assess the nature, degree, and duration of emotional responses to the stressor. How can I obtain trauma exposure and PTSD assessment measures?The American Psychological Association's ethical guidelines on psychological test instruments require advanced graduate-level training in the administration and interpretation of psychodiagnostic assessment instruments. Thus, we are not able to distribute measures to people who do not hold at least a master's degree in a clinical discipline. Graduate students must have a professor request the measure for them and use the measure under the professor's supervision. In the Assessment Section on our Web site, you can find additional information about many measures, including a contact name and address for obtaining the measure. If the measure was developed by the National Center for PTSD, you can submit a request form to obtain the assessment tool. See the Assessment Section of our website for a wealth of information about PTSD, trauma and assessment. From the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,
US Department of Veterans Affairs. What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? Trauma Exposure MeasuresChart - Trauma Exposure Measures PTSD Screening InstrumentsBelow is a list of links to information on select PTSD Screens, brief questionnaires completed in order to identify people who are more likely to have PTSD. A positive response to the screen does not necessarily indicate that a patient has Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. However, a positive response does indicate that a patient may have PTSD or trauma-related problems and further investigation of trauma symptoms by a mental-health professional may be warranted. Chart - Screens for PTSD PLEASE NOTE: Screens are to be used to determine possible problems, and positive cases should be followed up by assessment with a structured interview for PTSD. Common Reactions to TraumaPeople experience a range of reactions following trauma. Here you will find information on what these common reactions are, including anger, nightmares, sleep problems, and more. Avoidance If you are in an immediate crisis, please go to your nearest Emergency Room, or call 911, or call 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) to talk to someone right now. |