The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (Pcl) printable pdf download

The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL)

The PCL (Weathers et al, 1993) is an easily administered self-report rating scale for

assessing the 17 DSM-IV symptoms of PTSD. It has excellent test-retest reliability

over a 2-3 day period. Internal consistency is very high for each of the three groups of

items corresponding to the DSM-IV symptom clusters as well as for the full 17-item

scale. The PCL correlates strongly with other measures of PTSD, such as the

Mississippi Scale, the PK scale of the MMPI-2, and the Impact of Events Scale, and

also correlates moderately with level of combat exposure.

Three versions of the PCL are available, although the differences are very small. The

PCL-M is a military version and questions refer to “a stressful military experience”. The

PCL-S is a non-military version that can be referenced to any specific traumatic event;

the questions refer to “the stressful experience”. The PCL-C is a general civilian

version that is not linked to a specific event; the questions refer to “a stressful

experience from the past”. The scoring is the same for all three versions.

A total score is computed by adding the 17 items, so that possible scores range from

17 to 85. Used as a continuous measure, the PCL has good diagnostic utility. In

Vietnam combat veterans a cut-off of 50 on the PCL is a good predictor of a PTSD

diagnosis based on the SCID PTSD module. Principal components analysis revealed

one large factor, consisting primarily of re-experiencing and hyperarousal items, and

one much small factor, consisting primarily of emotional numbing items.

References:

Blanchard, E.B., Jones-Alexander, J., Buckley, T.C., & Forneris, C.A. (1996).

Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Behaviour Research and

Therapy, 34, 669-673.

Cardove, M.J., Andrykowski, M.A., Redd, W.H., Kenady, D.E., McGrath, P.C., & Sloan,

D.A. (1995). Frequency and correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder like symptoms

after treatment for breast cancer. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63,

981-986.

Forbes, D., Creamer, M., and Biddle, D. (2001). The validity of the PTSD checklist as a

measure of symptomatic change in combat-related PTSD. Behavior Therapy and

Research, 39, 977-986.

Weathers, F.W., Litz, B.T., Herman, D.S., Huska, J.A. & Keane, T.M. (1993) The

PTSD Checklist (PCL): Reliablity, validity, and diagnostic utility. Paper presented at

the 9th Annual Conference of the ISTSS, San Antonio.

Common assessment measures: PTSD Checklist

A centre of excellence supported by the Australian Governmen

The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (Pcl)