Validation of the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist – 5 (PCL-5) in a primary care population with high HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe
Date
2018-04-23
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMed Central
Abstract
Background: There is a dearth of validated tools measuring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in low and middleincome
countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We validated the Shona version of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) in a
primary health care clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Method: Adults aged 18 and above attending the clinic were enrolled over a two-week period in June 2016. After
obtaining written consent, trained research assistants administered the tool to eligible participants. Study participants
were then interviewed independently using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) as the gold standard by
one of five doctors with training in mental health.
Result: A total of 204 participants were assessed. Of these, 91 (44.6%) were HIV positive, 100 (49%) were HIV negative,
while 13 (6.4%) did not know their HIV status. PTSD was diagnosed in 40 (19.6%) participants using the gold standard
procedure. Using the PCL-5 cut-off of ≥33, sensitivity and specificity were 74.5% (95%CI: 60.4–85.7); 70.6% (95%CI:
62.7–77.7), respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.78 (95%CI: 0.72–0.83). The Shona version of the PCL-
5 demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=0.92).
Conclusion: The PCL-5 performed well in this population with a high prevalence of HIV. There is need to explore
ways of integrating screening tools for PTSD in interventions delivered by lay health workers in low and middleincome
countries (LMIC).
Description
CITATION: Verhey, R., et al. 2018. Validation of the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist – 5 (PCL-5) in a primary care population with high HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe. BMC Psychiatry, 18:109, doi:10.1186/s12888-018-1688-9.
The original publication is available at https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com
The original publication is available at https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com
Keywords
Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Developing countries, HIV-positive persons -- Zimbabwe, Primary care (Medicine) -- Zimbabwe
Citation
Verhey, R., et al. 2018. Validation of the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist – 5 (PCL-5) in a primary care population with high HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe. BMC Psychiatry, 18:109, doi:10.1186/s12888-018-1688-9