Instrument reference
Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5)
Public domain (developer statement) Licence statement checked
- Construct measured
- Probable PTSD in primary-care settings.
- Category
- Trauma-related symptoms
- Intended population
- Adults attending primary care.
- Number of items
- 5 items, following an initial trauma-exposure question (per the developer page).
- Administration format
- Brief screen, typically clinician- or self-administered in primary care.
- Scoring approach
- See developer guidance; the page notes sex differences in cut-point performance. This catalogue does not reproduce items or scoring tables.
- Language and population validation
- A Spanish version is listed as not validated in published research.
Reliability and validity evidence
- Developed and evaluated in a veteran primary-care sample. — Prins et al. (2016)
Interpretation cautions
- Positive screens require further assessment, ideally a structured interview.
- The developer page notes that one cut-point produced many false negatives among women.
Copyright and licence
Public domain (developer statement)
National Center for PTSD: developed by VA staff, in the public domain and not copyrighted; intended for qualified health professionals and researchers.
The developer states the instrument is in the public domain. Confirm the exact version on the official page; translations may have their own conditions.
Official source
National Center for PTSD — PC-PTSD-5 (opens in a new tab)
Rights and evidence last verified: 2026-10-19.