Trauma Assessment for Adults PDF
Outline
| Instrument | What it measures | Items and time | Who administers |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC-PTSD-5 | Probable DSM-5 PTSD in a brief setting | 5 yes/no plus exposure gate; brief | Self-report; clinician reviews |
| PCL-5 | Past-month DSM-5 PTSD symptom severity | 20 items; 5-10 min | Self-report; clinician interprets |
| LEC-5 | Lifetime exposure to 16 event types plus other | 17 event types; brief | Self-report or interview |
| BTQ | Criterion A exposure, not symptoms | 10 items; brief | Self-report |
| ITQ | ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD, plus impairment | 18 items; brief | Self-report |
| CAPS-5 | DSM-5 PTSD diagnosis and severity | 30-item interview; 45-60 min | Trained clinician or interviewer |
Use the next table for the official form, when to pick each measure, and the move after a positive screen. Same instruments, still in that order.
| Instrument | Official form | When to pick | After a positive screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC-PTSD-5 | NCPTSD PDF, free | Brief DSM-5 screen | Add PCL-5 or CAPS-5 |
| PCL-5 | NCPTSD PDF, free | Severity, monitoring, provisional | Interview if you will diagnose |
| LEC-5 | NCPTSD PDF, free | Exposure still unknown | Do not treat as a PTSD total |
| BTQ | NCPTSD PDF, free | Shorter Criterion A check | Pair with a symptom measure |
| ITQ | Consortium form, free | ICD-11 PTSD versus CPTSD | Follow the ITQ scoring rules |
| CAPS-5 | NCPTSD, request form | Diagnosis you will stand behind | Chart the interview, not a screen |
Official form pages: PC-PTSD-5, PCL-5, LEC-5, BTQ, ITQ, CAPS-5. NCPTSD writes PC-PTSD-5, PCL-5, and LEC-5 as public-domain downloads for qualified health professionals and researchers. BTQ is a download from the NCPTSD BTQ page. CAPS-5 is requested. The ITQ lives on the Consortium site, also described on the NCPTSD ITQ page. Do not reprint items from any of them.
You came here for a trauma assessment for adults PDF you can actually use in the next intake. The Adult Trauma Screen Selection Aid is the two-page picker for that job. Email it if you want the same tables on paper. Keep reading while you choose.
Email me the adult trauma screen selection aid
Two original pages: what each adult screen measures, who may give it, where the official form lives, and what to do after a positive result. It does not reprint items.
- Six-instrument table: PC-PTSD-5, PCL-5, LEC-5, BTQ, ITQ, and CAPS-5
- What each measures, item count, time, and who may administer it
- Official form locations, linked and never reprinted
- When to pick each screen and what to do after a positive result
Free. We'll email the PDF link right away and add you to the therapist toolkit, sent every two weeks. Unsubscribe any time.
Where should we send the link?
We'll email the PDF link right away. You'll also get the therapist toolkit every two weeks. Unsubscribe any time.
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Choose by the job, not the folder
What do you actually need answered before the hour ends?
If exposure is still a guess, start with LEC-5 or BTQ. LEC-5 screens 16 potentially traumatic event types plus one “other” item. It has a standard self-report, an extended self-report for the worst event, and an interview format for Criterion A. It does not yield a PTSD total. BTQ is the 10-item Criterion A check when you do not need the long event list.
Whatever you pick next, the trauma assessment for adults PDF you hand over is the official form, not a photocopy of the items.
If you need a brief DSM-5 screen, use PC-PTSD-5. NCPTSD built it for primary care and other tight slots. One lifetime-exposure gate, then five yes/no questions about the past month. A score of 0 through 5 is the count of yes answers after exposure. In a large VA primary-care sample, a cut-point of 4 balanced false negatives and false positives overall and for men. NCPTSD notes that the same cut-point produced more false negatives for women, so you may choose a lower line when you can complete the follow-up, or a higher line when false positives would eat the day.
If exposure is already established and you need past-month DSM-5 severity, use PCL-5. Twenty items, about 5 to 10 minutes, waiting-room or session. NCPTSD’s initial research points to a cutoff between 31 and 33 for probable PTSD across samples. Use a lower cut-point when you want to catch possible cases. Use a higher one when you are trying to reduce false positives or support a provisional read. That total is still not the diagnosis.
If the clinical question is ICD-11 PTSD versus complex PTSD, use the ITQ. It is an 18-item public-domain self-report. NCPTSD says not to treat it as a DSM-5 equivalent. Scoring lives in the official measure document, not in a homemade cutoff.
If you need a diagnosis you will stand behind, use CAPS-5. NCPTSD calls it the gold-standard 30-item structured interview. Plan 45 to 60 minutes. Specific CAPS-5 training is strongly encouraged. Non-VA providers request the interview from the NCPTSD CAPS-5 page. A self-report is not a substitute.
When you are choosing among brief outpatient measures more broadly, not this trauma set, use the scales for mental health matrix. Come back here when the job is an adult trauma screen.
After a positive screen
A positive screen is a prompt for further assessment. NCPTSD says that in plain language on the PC-PTSD-5 page: those who screen positive need further assessment, preferably CAPS-5, and PCL-5 when a structured interview is not possible.
Say that out loud. “This screen is high enough that I want a fuller look” is a different sentence from “You have PTSD.”
Then pick the next instrument the same way you picked the first:
- Exposure still fuzzy: add LEC-5 or BTQ before you lean on a symptom total.
- DSM-5 severity or monitoring: PCL-5 from the NCPTSD page.
- ICD-11 PTSD versus CPTSD: ITQ from the Consortium page.
- A diagnosis you will stand behind: CAPS-5, official interview, training in place.
If the hour is an active safety problem, stop the form and use your usual risk pathway. A high total is not a safety plan.
If you later need an ICD-10 code for the formulation you actually reached, use the PTSD ICD-10 codes guide. Do not assign F43.1 from a PC-PTSD-5 total.
Pace the asking. A trauma-informed frame still applies while you hand a form over: consent, choice, and whether R.K. can finish a self-report today. The trauma-informed care basics guide is the session-frame piece. This screen is the instrument choice.
Chart the name, date, result, and next move. Leave the item sentences on the official form.
If you want the chosen result in the chart without pasting items, try Emosapien on the session note.
Download the adult trauma screen selection aid
Email me the adult trauma screen selection aid
Two original pages: what each adult screen measures, who may give it, where the official form lives, and what to do after a positive result. It does not reprint items.
- Six-instrument table: PC-PTSD-5, PCL-5, LEC-5, BTQ, ITQ, and CAPS-5
- What each measures, item count, time, and who may administer it
- Official form locations, linked and never reprinted
- When to pick each screen and what to do after a positive result
Free. We'll email the PDF link right away and add you to the therapist toolkit, sent every two weeks. Unsubscribe any time.
Where should we send the link?
We'll email the PDF link right away. You'll also get the therapist toolkit every two weeks. Unsubscribe any time.
✓ Check your inbox
We've sent you the PDF
The download link is on its way to your inbox, usually within a minute or two. The email will come from Emosapien (hello@team.emosapien.com); check your spam folder if you don't see it.
You're also on the therapist toolkit list, sent every two weeks. Unsubscribe any time from the email footer.
Use the aid beside the official trauma assessment for adults PDF, not instead of it. Check the live NCPTSD or Consortium page before you administer, because instruments and cut-points can change.
References
- Bovin, M. J., Kimerling, R., Weathers, F. W., Prins, A., Marx, B. P., Post, E. P., & Schnurr, P. P. (2021). Diagnostic accuracy and acceptability of the Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screen for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) among US veterans. JAMA Network Open, 4(2), e2036733.
- International Trauma Consortium. (n.d.). International Trauma Questionnaires.
- National Center for PTSD. (n.d.). Brief Trauma Questionnaire (BTQ). U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- National Center for PTSD. (n.d.). Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- National Center for PTSD. (n.d.). International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ). U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- National Center for PTSD. (n.d.). Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5). U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- National Center for PTSD. (n.d.). Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5). U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- National Center for PTSD. (n.d.). PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Weathers, F. W., Bovin, M. J., Lee, D. J., Sloan, D. M., Schnurr, P. P., Kaloupek, D. G., Keane, T. M., & Marx, B. P. (2018). The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5): Development and initial psychometric evaluation in military veterans. Psychological Assessment, 30(3), 383-395.
- Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Keane, T. M., Palmieri, P. A., Marx, B. P., & Schnurr, P. P. (2013). The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) [Measurement instrument]. National Center for PTSD.