UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-5 (PTSD-RI-5): a Psychometric Study of Adolescents Sampled from Communities in Eleven Countries

Overview

Journal Eur J Psychotraumatol

Date 2019 May 21

PMID 31105904

Citations 13

Authors

Ana Doric

Dejan Stevanovic

Dusko Stupar

Panos Vostanis

Olayinka Atilola

Paulo Moreira

Katarina Dodig-Curkovic

Tomislav Franic

Vrljicak Davidovic

Mohamad Avicenna

Multazam Noor

Laura Nussbaum

Abdelaziz Thabet

Dino Ubalde

Petar Petrov

Azra Deljkovic

Monteiro Luis Antonio

Adriana Ribas

Joana Oliveira

Rajna Knez

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

: Children and adolescents are often exposed to traumatic events, which may lead to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is therefore important for clinicians to screen for potential symptoms that can be signs of PTSD onset. PTSD in youth is a worldwide problem, thus congruent screening tools in various languages are needed. : The aim of this study was to test the general psychometric properties of the Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index for children and adolescents (UCLA PTSD) Reaction Index for DSM-5 (PTSD-RI-5) in adolescents, a self-report instrument intended to screen for trauma exposure and assess PTSD symptoms. : Data was collected from 4201 adolescents in communities within eleven countries worldwide (i.e. Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Indonesia, Montenegro, Nigeria, Palestine-Gaza, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, and Serbia). Internal consistency, discriminant validity, and a confirmatory factor analysis of a four-factor model representing the main DSM-5 symptoms of the PTSD-RI-5 were evaluated. : The PTSD-RI-5 total score for the entire sample shows very good reliability (α = .92) as well as across all countries included (α ranged from .90 to .94). The correlations between anxiety/depressive symptoms and the PTSD-RI-5 scores were below .70 indicating on good discriminant validity. The four-factor structure of the scale was confirmed for the total sample and data from six countries. The standardized regression weights for all items varied markedly across the countries. The lack of a common acceptable model across all countries prevented us from direct testing of cross-cultural measurement invariance. : The four-factor structure of the PTSD-RI-5 likely represents the core PTSD symptoms as proposed by the DSM-5 criteria, but there could be items interpreted in a conceptually different manner by adolescents from different cultural/regional backgrounds and future cross-cultural evaluations need to consider this finding.

Citing Articles

Psychometric evaluation of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index (PTSD RI-5) in a Turkish Clinical sample of trauma-exposed children.

Kucukardali R, Karal B, Steinberg A, Orengul A Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2025; 16(1):2465082.

PMID: 39989342 PMC: 11852236. DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2025.2465082.

Current Status and Future Directions of Artificial Intelligence in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Literature Measurement Analysis.

Wan R, Wan R, Xie Q, Hu A, Xie W, Chen J Behav Sci (Basel). 2025; 15(1).

PMID: 39851830 PMC: 11760884. DOI: 10.3390/bs15010027.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in disaster-exposed youth: examining diagnostic concordance and model fit using ICD-11 and DSM-5 criteria.

Danzi B, Knowles E, Bock R BMC Pediatr. 2025; 25(1):24.

PMID: 39799288 PMC: 11724448. DOI: 10.1186/s12887-024-05317-6.

Cross-cultural validation of the Clinician-Administered PTSD scale for DSM-5, child and adolescent version in Japan.

Tanaka E, Kameoka S, Suga Y, Otsuka M, Momoda M, Matsumoto K Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2024; 15(1):2424607.

PMID: 39545832 PMC: 11571785. DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2024.2424607.

Enuresis in young offenders - a study on prevalence and mental health comorbidity.

Koposov R, Stickley A, Isaksson J, Ruchkin V Front Psychiatry. 2024; 15:1328767.

PMID: 38559400 PMC: 10978753. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1328767.

References

Thabet A, Vostanis P . Post-traumatic stress reactions in children of war. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1999; 40(3):385-91. View

Jensen P, Canino G, BIRD H, Dulcan M, Lahey B . Parent and child contributions to diagnosis of mental disorder: are both informants always necessary?. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1999; 38(12):1569-79. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-199912000-00019. View

Chorpita B, Yim L, Moffitt C, Umemoto L, Francis S . Assessment of symptoms of DSM-IV anxiety and depression in children: a revised child anxiety and depression scale. Behav Res Ther. 2000; 38(8):835-55. DOI: 10.1016/s0005-7967(99)00130-8. View

Terheggen M, Stroebe M, Kleber R . Western conceptualizations and Eastern experience: a cross-cultural study of traumatic stress reactions among Tibetan refugees in India. J Trauma Stress. 2001; 14(2):391-403. DOI: 10.1023/A:1011177204593. View

Elklit A . Victimization and PTSD in a Danish national youth probability sample. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2002; 41(2):174-81. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-200202000-00011. View

Koplewicz H, Vogel J, Solanto M, Morrissey R, Alonso C, Abikoff H . Child and parent response to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. J Trauma Stress. 2002; 15(1):77-85. DOI: 10.1023/A:1014339513128. View

Heine S, Lehman D, Peng K, Greenholtz J . What's wrong with cross-cultural comparisons of subjective Likert scales?: The reference-group effect. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2002; 82(6):903-18. View

Simms L, Watson D, Doebbeling B . Confirmatory factor analyses of posttraumatic stress symptoms in deployed and nondeployed veterans of the Gulf War. J Abnorm Psychol. 2002; 111(4):637-47. DOI: 10.1037//0021-843x.111.4.637. View

Ohan J, Myers K, Collett B . Ten-year review of rating scales. IV: scales assessing trauma and its effects. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2002; 41(12):1401-22. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-200212000-00012. View

10.

Mabe P, Josephson A . Child and adolescent psychopathology: spiritual and religious perspectives. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2004; 13(1):111-25, vii-viii. DOI: 10.1016/s1056-4993(03)00091-9. View

11.

Lehman D, Chiu C, Schaller M . Psychology and culture. Annu Rev Psychol. 2004; 55:689-714. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141927. View

12.

Steinberg A, Brymer M, Decker K, Pynoos R . The University of California at Los Angeles Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2004; 6(2):96-100. DOI: 10.1007/s11920-004-0048-2. View

13.

Kassam-Adams N, Winston F . Predicting child PTSD: the relationship between acute stress disorder and PTSD in injured children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2004; 43(4):403-11. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-200404000-00006. View

14.

Chorpita B, Moffitt C, Gray J . Psychometric properties of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in a clinical sample. Behav Res Ther. 2005; 43(3):309-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2004.02.004. View

15.

Ruchkin V, Schwab-Stone M, Jones S, Cicchetti D, Koposov R, Vermeiren R . Is posttraumatic stress in youth a culture-bound phenomenon? A comparison of symptom trends in selected U.S. and Russian communities. Am J Psychiatry. 2005; 162(3):538-44. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.162.3.538. View

16.

Pole N, Best S, Metzler T, Marmar C . Why are hispanics at greater risk for PTSD?. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2005; 11(2):144-61. DOI: 10.1037/1099-9809.11.2.144. View

17.

Hawkins S, Radcliffe J . Current measures of PTSD for children and adolescents. J Pediatr Psychol. 2005; 31(4):420-30. DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsj039. View

18.

Borsboom D . When does measurement invariance matter?. Med Care. 2006; 44(11 Suppl 3):S176-81. DOI: 10.1097/01.mlr.0000245143.08679.cc. View

19.

Gregorich S . Do self-report instruments allow meaningful comparisons across diverse population groups? Testing measurement invariance using the confirmatory factor analysis framework. Med Care. 2006; 44(11 Suppl 3):S78-94. PMC: 1808350. DOI: 10.1097/01.mlr.0000245454.12228.8f. View

20.

Copeland W, Keeler G, Angold A, Costello E . Traumatic events and posttraumatic stress in childhood. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007; 64(5):577-84. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.64.5.577. View