The PTSD Interview: Rationale, Description, Reliability, and Concurrent Validity of a DSM-III-based Technique

This paper describes the PTSD Interview (PTSD-I). It was developed to meet four specifications: (a) close correspondence to DSM-III standards; (b) binary present/absent and continuous severity/frequency outputs on each symptom and the entire syndrome; (c) administrable by trained subprofessionals; and (d) substantial reliability and validity. It was written to meet the first three criteria. It demonstrated very high internal consistency (alpha = .92) and test-retest reliability (Total score r = .95; diagnostic agreement = 87%). It correlated strongly with parallel DIS criteria (Total score vs. DIS diagnosis rbis = .94, sensitivity = .89, specificity = .94, overall hit rate = .92, and kappa = .84). Earlier studies revealed correlations with a military stress scale and Keane et al.'s MMPI PTSD subscale. It is apparently the only PTSD instrument that meets all of the above criteria.