PCL-5
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)
The PCL-5 is a standardized questionnaire designed to assess the intensity of symptoms related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. It quickly identifies the impact of a traumatic event on an individual by measuring four main symptom clusters: re-experiencing, avoidance, alterations in cognitions and mood, and hyperarousal.
- Number of questions
- 20 questions
- Estimated duration
- 5 minutes
- Language
- English
- Original name
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5
- Category
- PTSD
Preview of the 20 questions
Scoring & interpretation
Scoring
Score: 40
Criterion C - Avoidance symptoms: 1/8
Criterion D - Negative alterations in cognitions and mood: 15/28
Criterion E - Alterations in arousal and reactivity (hyperarousal): 15/24
There are two ways to reach a provisional PTSD diagnosis.
1 - A raw cutoff score of 38 indicates a provisional PTSD diagnosis. This cutoff has high sensitivity (0.78) and specificity (0.98) (Cohen et al., 2015).
2 - Treat each item rated 2 = "Moderately" or higher as an endorsed symptom, then follow the DSM-5 diagnostic rule, which requires at least: 1 B item (questions 1-5), 1 C item (questions 6-7), 2 D items (questions 8-14), 2 E items (questions 15-20). When the scale is used to monitor symptoms over time, a change of at least 10 points represents a clinically significant change (based on the PCL change scores for DSM-IV).
Total score
Below the cutoff (0 to 37)Provisional PTSD cutoff (38 to 80)
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