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Contrasting approaches to psychological screening with U.S. combat soldiers
Author(s) -
Wright Kathleen M.,
Bliese Paul D.,
Thomas Jeffrey L.,
Adler Amy B.,
Eckford Rachel D.,
Hoge Charles W.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.20279
Subject(s) - referral , distress , psychology , clinical psychology , population , psychological distress , psychiatry , depression (economics) , psychometrics , anxiety , medicine , family medicine , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
Psychological screening can be conducted using global screens, single items, symptom‐based scales, or composite measures. These four different approaches were evaluated against structured clinical interviews in studies with U.S. soldiers preparing to deploy and returning from combat operations in Iraq. Three samples ( N = 337, N = 574, and N = 348) were screened to assess the effectiveness of a short global measure of distress, a single self‐referral item, symptom‐specific scales selected for the target population, and a composite instrument that included a combination of clinical domains. A composite screen with measures of posttraumatic stress, depression, and alcohol problems, along with a single self‐referral item, performed most effectively.