The PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version: Reliability, Validity, and Factor Structure in a Nonclinical Sample

Daniel Conybeare, Evelyn Behar, Ari Solomon, Michelle G. Newman, T. D. Borkovec

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

246 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives: We examined the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the posttraumatic stress diorder (PTSD) Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C; Blanchard, Jones-Alexander, Buckley, & Forneris, 1996) among unselected undergraduate students. Participants: Participants were 471 undergraduate students at a large university in the Eastern United States and were not preselected based on trauma history or symptom severity. Results: The PCL-C demonstrated good internal consistency and retest reliability. Compared with alternative measures of PTSD, the PCL-C showed favorable patterns of convergent and discriminant validity. In contrast to previous research using samples with known trauma exposure, we found support for both 1-factor and 2-factor models of PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: Overall, the PCL-C appears to be a valid and reliable measure of PTSD symptoms, even among nonclinical samples, and is superior to some alternative measures of PTSD. The factor structure among nonclinical samples may not reflect each of the PTSD symptom "clusters" (i.e., reexperiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)699-713
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of clinical psychology
Volume68
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2012

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)

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