Psychometric Properties of the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5: Findings From Family Members of Chinese Healthcare Workers During the Outbreak of COVID-19.

Background: Minimal research has examined utility of PC-PTSD-5 in family members of frontline medical workers. The aims of our study were to develop and elucidate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the PC-PTSD-5 and to determine its usefulness in screening for possible PTSD in relatives of Chinese healthcare workers during the COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional research in the relatives of medical staffs working in a general hospital during the COVID-19. Descriptive analysis was used to characterize demographic information of family members to find factors associated with PTSD symptoms. For reliability test, the internal consistency of PC-PTSD-5 was accessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. A validity test was assessed by Pearson's correlation between scales. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the optimal cutoff score with the maximum Youden Index in this study. Results: The result of demographic information indicated that gender and the type of work undertaken by medical staff in the family have a potential impact on the PTSD symptoms of medical staff's family members. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of PC-PTSD-5 was 0.83, indicating the high reliability. Good validity was also demonstrated by Pearson coefficient. By calculating the Youden index, a cutoff score of 2 was found to be optimal in our study, with sensitivity of 80.74% and specificity of 88.43%. Conclusions: Our study has demonstrated the robust psychometric strengths of the PC-PTSD-5, introducing a reliable tool for screening PTSD among vulnerable and neglected families of these medical workers.

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Primary Care Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screen-5 for Medical Staff Exposed to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic may increase the development of psychiatric disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among medical staff. A brief validated screening tool is essential for the early diagnosis of PTSD. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the validation of a Chinese version of the Primary Care-PTSD-5 (C-PC-PTSD-5) and determine an appropriate cutoff score with optimal sensitivity and specificity for medical staff in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted on medical staff (n = 1104) from 17 medical institutions in Shanghai. Questionnaires comprising general information, medical-related traumatic event experiences, the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5), and C-PC-PTSD-5 were distributed to participants using the online Questionnaire Star electronic system. Internal consistency, convergent validity, and test-retest reliability were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine diagnostic accuracy and the optimal cutoff score of the C-PC-PTSD-5 for medical staff. RESULTS: We included 1062 valid questionnaires for the analysis. Data of 838 traumatic experiences were analyzed. Internal consistency of the C-PC-PTSD-5 was satisfied (Cronbach's α = 0.756). The total score of the C-PC-PTSD-5 showed good test-retest reliability (r = 0.746). We found a strong correlation between the C-PC-PTSD-5 score and PCL-5 total score (r = 0.669, p < 0.001), which indicated good convergent validity. The ROC analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.81 ± 0.016. A cutoff score of 2 provided optimal sensitivity and specificity for the C-PC-PTSD-5 (sensitivity = 0.632, specificity = 0.871, Youden index = 0.503, and overall efficiency = 0.768). CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that the C-PC-PTSD-5 can be employed as a brief and efficient screening instrument for medical staff exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic. A score of 2 was identified as the optimal threshold for probable clinical PTSD symptoms.