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The PTSD Checklist—Civilian Version: Reliability, Validity, and Factor Structure in a Nonclinical Sample
Author(s) -
Conybeare Daniel,
Behar Evelyn,
Solomon Ari,
Newman Michelle G.,
Borkovec T. D.
Publication year - 2012
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/jclp.21845
Subject(s) - psychology , checklist , discriminant validity , clinical psychology , reliability (semiconductor) , internal consistency , test validity , psychometrics , posttraumatic stress , convergent validity , psychiatry , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , cognitive psychology
Objectives We examined the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the posttraumatic stress diorder (PTSD) Checklist‐Civilian Version (PCL‐C; Blanchard, Jones‐Alexander, Buckley, & Forneris, 1996) among unselected undergraduate students. Participants Participants were 471 undergraduate students at a large university in the Eastern United States and were not preselected based on trauma history or symptom severity. Results The PCL‐C demonstrated good internal consistency and retest reliability. Compared with alternative measures of PTSD, the PCL‐C showed favorable patterns of convergent and discriminant validity. In contrast to previous research using samples with known trauma exposure, we found support for both 1‐factor and 2‐factor models of PTSD symptoms. Conclusions Overall, the PCL‐C appears to be a valid and reliable measure of PTSD symptoms, even among nonclinical samples, and is superior to some alternative measures of PTSD. The factor structure among nonclinical samples may not reflect each of the PTSD symptom “clusters” (i.e., reexperiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal). © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Clin. Psychol. 00:1–15, 2012.