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Reliability and validity of a brief instrument for assessing post‐traumatic stress disorder
Author(s) -
Foa Edna B.,
Riggs David S.,
Dancu Constance V.,
Rothbaum Barbara O.
Publication year - 1993
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.2490060405
Subject(s) - psychology , inter rater reliability , clinical psychology , convergent validity , internal consistency , test validity , concurrent validity , reliability (semiconductor) , psychometrics , anxiety disorder , scale (ratio) , psychiatry , rating scale , developmental psychology , anxiety , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics
This study examines the psychometric properties of two versions of the PTSD Sympton Scale (PSS). The scale contains 17 items that diagnose PTSD according to DSM‐III‐R criteria and assess the severity of PTSD symptoms. An interview and self‐report version of the PSS were administered to a sample of 118 recent rape and non‐sexual assault victims. The results indicate that both versions of the PSS have satisfactory internal consistency, high test‐retest reliability, and good concurrent validity. The interview version yielded high interrater agreement when administred separately by two interviewers and excellent convergent validity with the SCID. When used to diagnose PTSD, the self‐report version of the PSS was somewhat more conservative than the interview version.