1. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL)
Jocelyn Williams
Wake Forest University

2. Background 3 versions for the DSM-IV
One of the most commonly used self-report measurements for PTSD
First introduced in 1993 by the National Center for PTSD
3 versions for the DSM-IV
Civilian (PCL-C) – “stressful experiences”
Military (PCL-M) – “stressful military experiences”
Specific (PCL-S) – anchored to a specific, identified traumatic event
Current version – PCL-5 for DSM-5
Translated into Chinese, Spanish, and Bosnian
PTSD Explanation:

3. Purpose Screening individuals for PTSD
Aiding in the diagnostic assessment of PTSD
Gold standard for diagnosing PTSD is a structured clinical interview, such as the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5)
Can be used for provisional diagnosis
Monitoring change in PTSD symptoms
Evidence for the PCL for DSM-IV suggests that a 5-10 point change represents reliable change (not due to chance); point change is clinically significant
(U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2014)

4. Description PCL for DSM-IV (PCL-C, PCL-M, PCL-S) 17 questions; DSM-IV
Likert scale rating how bothered client has been by the symptom in the past month
1 – not at all, 5 – extremely
PCL-5 for DSM-5
20 questions; DSM-5
Likert scale: 0 – 4
3 formats:
without Criterion A
with Criterion A
with the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5) and extended Criterion A component
Scores not compatible with PCL for DSM-IV scores and cannot be used interchangeably (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2014)

5. Administration/ Scoring (PCL-5)
Completion time: 5-10 minutes
Sum item scores for a “Total Symptom Severity Score” (0-80)
Symptom cluster severity score
Each item rated 2 or higher is an endorsed symptom
Diagnostic rule: 1 B item (questions 1-5), 1 C item (6-7), 2 D items (8-14), 2 E items (15-20)
Cut off of 38 appears to be reasonable (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2014)

6. Psychometrics (Wilkins, Lang, & Norman, 2011) PCL-S Test-retest
Immediate – 0.92
One week –
2 weeks –
Internal consistency
Cronbach’s Alpha =
Convergent validity
PCL-S correlated significantly more highly with measures of PTSD than with measures assessing depression, other domains of psychopathology, or physical pain
Overall correlation between total PCL-S and CAPS scores – 0.93 (Norris & Hamblen, 2004)
Discriminant validity
PCL-S correlated significantly more highly with the CAPS than PTSD measures that were not anchored to DSM-IV PTSD symptom criteria
Structural validity
Support for a 4 factor model of re-experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal, and dysphoria/numbing vs current 3 factor model
Cut point
44 showed sensitivity of , a specificity of , and an overall diagnostic efficacy of (Norris & Hamblen, 2004) with individuals in France who had experienced a variety of events.
PCL-S has a 3 factor structure (re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal).
(Wilkins, Lang, & Norman, 2011)

7. Strengths
Can be used as an outcome instrument to help measure symptom change
Useful as a guide for diagnostic assessment
Easy to administer and score
Only takes 5-10 minutes to complete
In the public domain - easy to obtain
M and S versions correlate highly with clinician- administered measures
PCL-5 has option to assess for Criterion A

8. Limitations
Limited to no research available on current version’s (PCL-5) psychometrics
No definitive cut off
Dependent on the prevalence of PTSD in that population and the needs of a given setting
Published cutpoints should be used with caution as many were derived from samples with high prevalence rates of current PTSD. May not be appropriate for samples with lower rates (Norris & Hamblen, 2011).
Reading level – 10 – 13.2 years of schooling (Wilkins, Lang & Norman, 2011)

9. Selected REFERENCES
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. (2014, May 2). PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Retrieved November 13, 2014, from U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs: National Center for PTSD website: Norris, F. H., & Hamblen, J. L. (2004). Standardized self-report measures of civilian trauma and PTSD. In J. P. Wilson & T. M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing Psychological Trauma and PTSD: A Practitioner's Handbook (2nd ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press. Wilkins, K. C., Lang, A. J., & Norman, S. B. (2011). Synthesis of the psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL) military, civilian, and specific versions. Depression and Anxiety, 28, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL). (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2014, from International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies website: