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Utility: Sensitivity and specificity in developing diagnostic tests of combat‐related Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Author(s) -
Gerardi Robert,
Keane Terence M.,
Penk Walter
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(198909)45:5<691::aid-jclp2270450503>3.0.co;2-c
Subject(s) - psychology , strengths and weaknesses , clinical psychology , gold standard (test) , modalities , traumatic stress , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , social science , sociology
This paper summarizes strengths and weaknesses of clinical utility of tests that diagnose Vietnam combat‐related Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Weaknesses reviewed are: excessive reliance upon one kind of measure of Index Diagnosis; failure to control for varying prevalence rates across samples; failure to compare accuracy across response modalities. Strengths that emerge from the review are that self‐report measures have proven to be highly sensitive, and psychophysiological measures have been demonstrated as highly specific. Whereas one single “gold standard” measure of PTSD has yet to be devised, clinical researchers can continue to have confidence in the use of multiple measures.