Psychometric properties and diagnostic utility of a Brazilian version of the PCL-5 (complete and abbreviated versions)

Background: With the release of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL) has been updated to meet the revisions of the diagnostic criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, the diagnostic utility and reliability of a Brazilian version of the new Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5) have not been investigated yet. Objective: To investigate the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and diagnostic utility of the complete version (21-item) and two abbreviated (8-item and 4-item) versions of the Brazilian PCL-5. Methods: A total of 85 individuals with a history of exposure to at least one traumatic event underwent a diagnostic interview using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5-CV) and completed the Brazilian version of the PCL-5. Moreover, participants were invited to complete the checklist for a second time 10–30 days after the first assessment. Results: Both the complete and abbreviated versions of the Brazilian PCL-5 showed good internal consistency (complete PCL-5, α = .96; 8-item, α = .93; 4-item, α = .85) and test-retest reliability (complete PCL-5, ICC .87 [95% CI, 0.65–0.95]; 8-item, ICC .84 [95% CI, 0.60–0.94]; 4-item, ICC .84 [95% CI, 0.58–0.94]). Diagnostic utility analyses using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5-CV) revealed that a cutoff point of 36 presented the higher overall efficiency for predicting a PTSD diagnosis Overall Efficiency (OE, .80) and corresponded to Youden’s index J (.65). For the 8-item version, a cutoff point of 13 corresponded to Youden’s index J (.61), while scores of 21 or more were associated with the highest OE (.78). For the 4-item PCL-5, scores > 7 presented the highest OE (.77) and corresponded to Youden’s index J (.59). Conclusions: Overall, the findings provide relevant evidence regarding the high reliability and diagnostic utility of this Brazilian version of the PCL-5.