Psychometric analysis of the Dutch Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) for a sample of bereaved people during the Covid-19 pandemic who sought treatment

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the PCL-5 for a sample of people who lost a loved one during the Covid-19 pandemic and sought treatment. This study used baseline data of an RCT and CT including 116 Dutch adults who completed measures via telephone interviews. Internal consistency, convergent validity, known-groups validity and optimal clinical cut-off scores were examined. Specifically, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, independent t-test and ROC analysis were conducted. The total scores and subscales of the PCL-5 demonstrated good or acceptable internal consistency, only the subscale alteration in arousal and reactivity showed questionable internal consistency. Support for convergent validity was provided by a strong observed correlation between the total scores of the PCL-5 and the total scores of measures for prolonged grief and depression. There was no support for known-groups validity with results showing no significant differences depending on any risk group. The optimal cut-off score was set between 53 and 54, which demonstrated poor accuracy. Overall, the Dutch PCL-5 showed decent psychometric properties for a treatment-seeking bereaved sample. Future research is needed with a more heterogeneous and larger treatment-seeking bereaved sample.