A new short version of the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale: validity among Japanese adults with and without PTSD.

Background: Identifying high-risk groups for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during evacuation situations requires a valid short screening tool. The re-experiencing symptoms of PTSD are considered helpful for distinguishing those with PTSD from those without, as they are thought to be specific to PTSD, have less ambiguity for respondents, and are representative of all PTSD symptoms. Objective: To develop a new short version of the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) comprising only re-experiencing symptom items. Method: We used existing data (N = 169) from our previous study on the Japanese version of the PDS and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). The sample included both clinical outpatients (n = 106) and university students (n = 63), all of whom reported one or more traumatic experiences. We created candidate 2- and 3-item versions of the PDS and compared their psychometric characteristics against the CAPS. Results: The best candidate (comprising items for 'intrusive images', 'nightmares', and 'physiological reactions when reminded of the trauma') demonstrated an area under the curve of .95, 94.8% sensitivity, 86.1% specificity for the best cut-off score of three. The candidate scale also showed a strong correlation with CAPS-evaluated severity score and internal consistency. Conclusions: The brief re-experiencing PDS had good psychometric properties among Japanese adults with and without PTSD.

The Japanese version of the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale: Validity in participants with and without traumatic experiences.

The Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) is a brief, self-report questionnaire developed for the diagnostic screening and assessment of the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); the PDS is based on the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition; DSM-IV). We investigated the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the PDS in a clinical (n=109) and a non-clinical (n=116) sample, recruited from an outpatient psychiatric facility and a university student population, respectively. The Japanese versions of the PDS and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS/DSM-IV) were administered to the participants. The Japanese PDS's diagnostic sensitivity and specificity exceeded 90%. The correlation between the severity scores assessed by the Japanese PDS and the CAPS was also high (r=0.92). The findings suggest that the Japanese version of the PDS is useful for diagnostically screening PTSD and assessing symptom severity.

Forty days after the Great East Japan Earthquake: field research investigating community engagement and traumatic stress screening in a post-disaster community mental health training.

The current article describes the results of posttraumatic stress educational outreach and screening offered to 141 citizens of Japan who attended a public-service mental health training regarding post-disaster coping 40 days after a 6.8 Richter Scale earthquake, local and regional deaths, and an ongoing nuclear radiation threat. Attendees were given access to anonymous questionnaires that were integrated into the training as a tool to help enhance mental health literacy and bridge communication gaps. Questionnaires were turned in by a third of those in attendance. Among respondents, multiple exposures to potentially-traumatic events were common. More than a quarter of respondents met criteria for probable PTSD. Physical health and loss of sense of community were related to PTSD symptoms. Associations and diagnosis rates represented in these data are not generalizable to the population as a whole or intended for epidemiological purposes; rather, they are evidence of a potentially useful approach to post-disaster clinical screening, education, and engagement. Results are presented in the context of previous findings in Japan and ecologically-supportive post-disaster field research is discussed.