Incidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Preliminary Investigation Using the Brief Neuropsychological Screening Test

OBJECTIVE: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a group of diseases that are observed in patients who had experienced a serious trauma or accident. However, some experienced it even after only a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), and they are easily ignored due to the relatively favorable course of mild TBI. Herein, the authors investigated the incidence of PTSD in mild TBI using brief neuropsychological screening test (PTSD checklist, PCL). METHODS: This study was conducted on patients with mild TBI (Glasgow coma scale > or =13) who were admitted from January 2012 to December 2012. As for PCL, it was done on patients who showed no difficulties in communication upon admission and agreed to participate in this study. By using sum of PCL, the patients were divided into high-risk group and low-risk group. PTSD was diagnosed as the three major symptoms of PTSD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth-edifion. RESULTS: A total of 314 TBI patients were admitted and 71 of them met the criteria and were included in this study. The mean age was 52.9 years-old (range: 15-94). The mean PCL score was 28.8 (range: 17-68), and 10 patients were classified as high-risk group. During follow-up, 2 patients (2.7%) of high risk group, were confirmed as PTSD and there was no patient who was suspected of PTSD in the low-risk group (p=0.017). CONCLUSION: PTSD is observed 2.8% in mild TBI. Although PTSD after mild TBI is rare, PCL could be considered as a useful tool for screening of PTSD after mild TBI.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the PTSD Checklist Civilian Version in North Korean Defectors / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted for development of the Korean version of the Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist civilian version (PCL-C) by evaluating its reliability and validity for the North Korean defectors population. METHODS: A total of 69 North Korean defectors participated in this study. All patients were recruited from the psychiatric outpatient or inpatient ward. We categorized the participants into two groups according to the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) diagnosis of PTSD (PTSD, n=32 ; Non-PTSD, n=37). All Subjects completed psychometric assessments, including the PCL-C, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-PTSD), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). RESULTS: Findings provided support for psychometric properties of the Korean version of the PCL-C. The PCL-C showed good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha=0.93), and a significantly positive correlation with CAPS and MMPI-PTSD (r=0.47, r=0.61, respectively). The optimal cutoff point of PCL-C for the North Korean defectors was at a total score of 56 with sensitivity and specificity of 0.88, and 0.50, respectively. CONCLUSION: Overall, the Korean version of the PCL-C appears to be a valid and reliable measure of PTSD symptoms among the North Korean defectors.

Psychometric properties of the PTSD checklist-civilian version among junior school students from earthquake-hit region / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To test psychometric properties of the PTSD checklist-civilian version(PCL-C) among junior school students from earthquake-hit region.Methods PC L-C Chinese Version, Rosenberg self-esteem scale and SCL-90 were utilized to assess 560 junior school students from earthquake-hit region.Results Firstly,the internal consistency of the total scale and three subscales were qualified, the coefficient alphas were 0.890,0.734,0.789 and 0.722, respectively; 307 participants, from the first samples, engaged in the second test two months after the first assessment.The test-retest stability was re-experiencing 0.40(P ＜ 0.01 ) ,avoidance 0.45 (P＜ 0.01 ), hyper-arousal 0.448 (P ＜ 0.01 ), total scale 0.535 (P ＜ 0.01 ), respectively.Secondly, the results of criteria validity showed PCL-C and its three subscales had negative correlation with self-esteem (r =-0.192 ～-0.299, P ＜ 0.01 ), and had positive-related with SCL-90 and its subscales of depression, anxiety, and psychotic (r=0.563 ～0.775, P＜0.01 ).Finally,the results of empirical validity revealed that based on the score on PCL-Ccould differentiate those people who have significant different scores on SCL-90.Conclusions The PCL-C hadgood reliabilities and validities,which could be used to assess the severity of PTSD.

Factor Structure of PTSD Checklist:A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Study in Adolescents from Earthquake Region / 中国临床心理学杂志

Objective: To investigate the factor structure of the PTSD through analyzing the factor structure of the PTSD Checklist in adolescents from earthquake disaster region. Methods: Chinese PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version was used to assess 560 adolescents, and technique of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was employed to comparing seven competitive models. Results: The intercorrelated four-factor model was the best fit one. Conclusion: The Chinese PTSD Checklist-Civilian has an intercorrelated four-factor model; intercorrelated four-factor model of the PTSD may fit the Chinese people, however, which needs further confirmation.