Assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder in Cambodian refugees using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale: psychometric properties and symptom severity

J Trauma Stress. 2006 Jun;19(3):405-9. doi: 10.1002/jts.20115.

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were assessed by using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) in a consecutive sample of Cambodian refugees attending a psychiatric clinic in the United States. Psychometric properties of the translated CAPS and severity of PTSD-related symptoms were examined. The CAPS demonstrated adequate psychometric properties, including coefficient alpha (.92) and item-total correlations (.48-.85). Of the sample 56% (101/179) met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, criteria for current PTSD. Those patients who met criteria for current PTSD had significantly higher CAPS total scores (M = 65.3, SD = 18.1) than those who did not meet the criteria (M = 13.9, SD = 16.7).

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Cambodia / ethnology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Interview, Psychological*
  • Male
  • Massachusetts / epidemiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Observer Variation
  • Psychometrics
  • Refugees / psychology*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis*
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / ethnology
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology
  • Translating