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Convergent validity of measures of PTSD in an elderly population of former prisoners of war
Author(s) -
Neal Leigh A.,
Hill Nicholas,
Hughes Julian,
Middleton Aisla,
Busuttil Walter
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.930100713
Subject(s) - psychology , convergent validity , psychiatry , intrusion , minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , clinical psychology , psychometrics , population , test validity , prisoners of war , medicine , world war ii , personality , social psychology , environmental health , geochemistry , internal consistency , geology , archaeology , history
Thirty former World War II Far East prisoners of war were assessed with a structured clinical interview for PTSD based on DSM‐III‐R criteria and the results compared with the self‐report measures. Thirty per cent of the subjects fulfilled a DSM‐III‐R diagnosis of PTSD and 90% complained of at least one post traumatic intrusive or avoidant symptom. The Mississippi scale was the most accurate measure of PTSD severity ( r = 0.81) and the MMPI‐PTSD subscale was the most efficient dichotomous measure of PTSD (sensitivity = 0.89 and specificity = 0.62). The avoidance subscale of the impact of event scale did not discriminate avoidant symptoms from those of intrusion. Self‐report scales for chronic PTSD used in the elderly should be interpreted with caution and require further evaluation of their validity.