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 = 0.92) and test‐retest reliability (Total score r = 0.95; diagnostic agreement = 87%). It correlated strongly with parallel DIS criteria (Total score vs. DIS diagnosis rbis = 0.94, sensitivity = 0.89, specificity = 0.94, overall hit rate = 0.92, and kappa = 0.84). 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.