Penn Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Psychometric properties.

Abstract

This article reports a 3-phase study to develop and validate the Penn Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a 26-item self-report measure of the severity of PTSD. In Phase 1, using a sample (n=83) selected in 4 different groups, the inventory showed high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity in relation to a structured clinical PTSD diagnosis, measures of combat exposure, and measures of PTSD symptom dimensions. Phase 2 cross-validated the initial findings on a second sample (n=98), yielding results comparable to those of Phase 1, including measures of sensitivity and specificity. Phase 3, using a new sample (n=76), extended the findings to general veteran psychiatric admissions and civilian survivors of the Piper Alpha oil rig disaster, and used as criterion measures the Mississippi Scale for Combat-related PTSD among the veteran groups and the Impact of Event Scale in the civilian group