Synonyms
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist
Description
The PTSD Checklist (PCL) is a self-report questionnaire that measures symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The PCL was first developed during the 1990s by Frank Weathers and colleagues at the National Center for PTSD (Weathers et al. 1993) and recently revised. The current version (PCL-5; Blevins et al. 2015; Weathers et al. 2013b) is a 20-item questionnaire with items corresponding to the 20 PTSD symptoms (Criteria B-E) in the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association 2013). Items 1–5 reflect intrusive reexperiencing symptoms (Criteria B), items 6–7 reflect avoidance symptoms (Criteria C), items 8–14 reflect negative mood and cognition symptoms (Criteria D), and items 15–20 reflect hyperarousal symptoms (Criteria E) (Blevins et al. 2015). Respondents rate the degree to which each symptom has bothered them within past month on a 5-point...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences and Readings
American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health disorders (3rd ed., revised). Washington DC: Author.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health disorders (4th ed.). Washington DC: Author.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health disorders (5th ed.). Washington DC: Author.
Armour, C., Tsai, J., Durham, T. A., Charak, R., Biehn, T. L., Elhai, J. D., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2015). Dimensional structure of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress symptoms: Support for a hybrid anhedonia and externalizing behaviors model. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 61, 106–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.10.012.
Blevins, C. A., Weathers, F. W., Davis, M. T., Witte, T. K., & Domino, J. L. (2015). The posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): Development and initial psychometric evaluation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28, 489–498. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22059.
Bovin, M. J., Marx, B. P., Weathers, F. W., Gallagher, M. W., Rodriguez, P., Schnurr, P. P., & Keane, T. M. (2015). Psychometric properties of the PTSD checklist for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders–Fifth Edition (PCL-5) in Veterans. Psychological Assessment. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000254
Brief, D. J., Rubin, A., Keane, T. M., Enggasser, J. L., Roy, M., Helmuth, E., & Rosenbloom, D. (2013). Web intervention for OEF/OIF veterans with problem drinking and PTSD symptoms: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81, 890–900. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033697.
Foa, E. B., Riggs, D. S., Dancu, C. V., & Rothbaum, B. O. (1993). Reliability and validity of a brief instrument for assessing post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 6, 459–473. https://doi.org/10.1002.jts.2490060405.
Liu, P., Wang, L., Cao, C., Wang, R., Zhang, J., Zhang, B., & Elhai, J. D. (2014). The underlying dimensions of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in an epidemiological sample of Chinese earthquake survivors. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28, 345–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.03.008.
Tsai, J., Harpaz-Rotem, I., Armour, C., Southwick, S. M., Krystal, J. H., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2015). Dimensional structure of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 76, 546–553. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.14m09091.
Weathers, F. W., & Ford, J. (1996). Psychometric review of PTSD Checklist (PCL-C, PCL-S, PCL-M, PCL-PR). In B. H. Stamm (Ed.), Measurement of stress, trauma, and adaptation (pp. 250–251). Lutherville: Sidran Press.
Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Herman, D. S., Huska, J. A., & Keane, T. M. (1993). The PTSD Checklist (PCL): Reliability, validity, and diagnostic utility. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, San Antonio.
Weathers, F. W., Blake, D. D., Schnurr, P. P., Kaloupek, D. G., Marx, B. P., & Keane, T. M. (2013a). The clinician-administered PTSD scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). In National center for PTSD. Available at: http://www.ptsd.va.gov.
Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Keane, T. M., Palmieri, P. A., Marx, B. P., & Schnurr, P. P. (2013b). The PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). In National center for PTSD. Available at: http://www.ptsd.va.gov.
Wortmann, J. H., Jordan, A. H., Weathers, F. W., Resick, P. A., Dondanville, K. A., Hall-Clark, B., & Mintz, J. (2016). Psychometric analysis of the PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5) among treatment-seeking military service members. Psychological Assessment, 28, 1392–1403. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas000026.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG (outside the USA)
About this entry
Cite this entry
Silva, M.A. (2018). PCL-C. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_9235
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_9235
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-57110-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57111-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences