ABSTRACT
The psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist-Civilian version (PCL-C) were calculated for a population of HIV-seropositive individuals, using diagnoses and scores from the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) as the criterion measure. Results indicated rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) higher than that of the general population, with 12.3% of participants meeting criteria for PTSD in the past month. The PCL-C exhibited excellent internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of .94 for the whole measure. Receiver Operating Characteristic curve yielded an optimum cut score of 52 to determine the presence of PTSD as measured by the CAPS. This resulted in a sensitivity of .71, a specificity of .84, and a diagnostic efficiency of .82. Although this cut score yielded a slightly higher diagnostic efficiency, the cut score of 50 provided the optimal balance between sensitivity (.86) and specificity (.79)
This work was supported by the HIV/AIDS Treatment Adherence, Health Outcomes and Cost Study, a collaboration of six federal entities within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS): The Center for Mental Health Services, which had the lead administrative responsibility, and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, both components of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; the HIV/AIDS Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration; the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, all parts of the National Institutes of Health. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of these or any other agencies of the DHHS.