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The PTSD interview: Rationale, description, reliability, and concurrent validity of a DSM‐III‐based technique
Author(s) -
Watson Charles G.,
Juba Mark P.,
Manifold Victor,
Kucala Teresa,
Anderson Patricia E. D.
Publication year - 1991
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(199103)47:2<179::aid-jclp2270470202>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - psychology , reliability (semiconductor) , minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , kappa , internal consistency , concurrent validity , clinical psychology , test validity , psychometrics , posttraumatic stress , scale (ratio) , psychiatry , social psychology , personality , quantum mechanics , power (physics) , linguistics , physics , philosophy
This paper describes the PTSD Interview (PTSD‐I). It was developed to meet four specifications: (a) close correspondence to DSM‐III standards; (b) binary present/absent and continuous severity/frequency outputs on each symptom and the entire syndrome; (c) administrable by trained subprofessionals; and (d) substantial reliability and validity. It was written to meet the first three criteria. It demonstrated very high internal consistency (alpha = 0.92) and test‐retest reliability (Total score r = 0.95; diagnostic agreement = 87%). It correlated strongly with parallel DIS criteria (Total score vs. DIS diagnosis r bis = 0.94, sensitivity = 0.89, specificity = 0.94, overall hit rate = 0.92, and kappa = 0.84). Earlier studies revealed correlations with a military stress scale and Keane et al.'s MMPI PTSD subscale. It is apparently the only PTSD instrument that meets all of the above criteria.