Psychometric properties of the PTSD checklist for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders : fifth edition (PCL-5) in bereaved individuals

A possible sequalae to the loss of a loved one is the development of a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One of the most prevalently used self-report measures assessing related complaints is the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DMS-5; PCL-5). The objective of the current study was to investigate the psychometric properties of this scale in bereaved individuals. Overall, (a) factor structure, (b) internal consistency, (c) test-retest reliability, (d) convergent validity, (e) known-groups validity, and (f) potential cut-off scores for classifying probable caseness of the PCL-5 were considered.