Brief Description
The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 with Life Events Checklist (PCL-5+LEC) assesses for the presence of Criterion A via life events checklist and the presence and severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 assesses for the presence of 17 possible Criterion A events (i.e., traumas). This is followed by 20 questions assessing for the other four criterion of PTSD in the DSM-5: re-experiencing the event, avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity. Respondents rate whether they have experienced certain events on a Yes/No scale, and how often they experience the PTSD symptoms listed (e.g., “Repeated, disturbing, and unwanted memories of the stressful experience?”) on a scale from “Not at all” to “Extremely.”
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
37
Age Range for Administration
18+
Recommended Frequency of Administration
Screener
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The PCL-5+LEC contains 35 questions. The first 17 questions asking if the respondent has experienced the listed event are not scored; rather they provide insight into traumas the respondent may have experienced. The last 20 questions scored on a 5-point Likert scale with values from 0 (“Not at all”) to 4 (“Extremely”). A total score is calculated by summing the item responses and ranges from 0 to 80; higher scores are associated with higher levels of, or more severe, PTSD symptoms. While there is no one specified cut-off for the total score of the PCL-5 as it may vary depending on the client and the situation, research suggests that a score of 31-33 or above is clinically significant and indicative of PTSD.
Subscale scores also can be examined and are calculated as average scores from the corresponding items. See table below for subscales and associated items:
Subscale | Items |
Intrusion | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
Avoidance | 6, 7 |
Alterations in cognition & mood | 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 |
Alterations in arousal & reactivity | 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 |
Blueprint Adjustments
Blueprint has set the cut-off as 32; scores below 32 are interpreted as "sub-clinical" and scores of 32 and above are interpreted as "clinically significant." Blueprint has adapted the PCL-5+LEC from the PCL-5 with LEC-5 and Criterion A by removing Part 2 given that Blueprint’s assessment platform does not support free text responses at this time. While Blueprint provides scores for the Life Events Checklist (first 17 questions), these are not to be interpreted.
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 7-10 minutes
The PCL-5+ should not be used as a stand-alone diagnostic tool. When considering a diagnosis, the clinician will still need to use clinical interviewing skills, and a recommended structured interview (e.g., Clinician Administered PTSD Scale - CAPS-5) to determine whether the symptoms meet criteria for PTSD, are causing clinically significant distress or impairment, and whether those symptoms are not better explained or attributed to other conditions (i.e. substance use, medical conditions, bereavement, etc.).
There is also a weekly PCL-5 that asks about symptoms over the past 7 days (PCL-5, weekly), a monthly PCL-5 (PCL-5, monthly) that asks about symptoms over the past month, and a Spanish version (PCL-5 Spanish); all are available on Blueprint.
The PCL-5 (Monthly) can be used to assess the change in PTSD symptoms over time. A reduction of 5 points has been suggested to reflect a positive response to treatment and a 10-point reduction reflects clinically significant change.
Citation
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