J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2015 May;54(2):236-244. 10.4306/jknpa.2015.54.2.236.

Application of Mobile App and Paper Survey of PTSD Checklist in the Elderly Korean Veterans of the Vietnam War

• Choe YM
• Kang SH
• Choi JH
• Chung HG
• So HS
• Jang YJ
• Kim JW
• Kim TY

• KMID: 2343904
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2015.54.2.236

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist (PCL) is currently the most popular self-report scale employed in screening PTSD. This study was conducted 1) to test the reliability and validity of PCL in veterans of the Vietnam War and 2) to compare the results when using a conventional paper survey and mobile app survey.
METHODS
Participants included 186 Korean veterans of the Vietnam War. Mini Mental Status Examination, PTSD module of Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID), and Life Event Checklist were administered. PCL was administered in either written format or mobile app. Diagnostic validity of the PCL was compared using the PTSD module of SCID. Other psychometric properties of PCL were also calculated.
RESULTS
PCL results using different methods, paper and mobile app, showed no significant difference in each item and total score. Cronbach's coefficient of PCL was 0.95, optimal cut-off 49.5, sensitivity 91.7%, and specificity 93.5%.
CONCLUSION
PCL showed excellent internal reliability, sensitivity, specificity, and validity. There was no statistically significant difference between survey methods. These results suggest that PCL is a reliable self-report scale in veterans. In addition, PCL with mobile app can be helpful in screening PTSD.

Keyword

Posttraumatic stress disorder; Veterans; Mobile app; Screening

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Checklist*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Humans
Mass Screening
Mobile Applications*
Psychometrics
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*
Veterans*
Vietnam*

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Screen view of PCL app. PCL : Posttraumatic stress disorder checklist.

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  Fig. 2 The receiver operating characteristic curve comparing the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist scale score against PTSD module of Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV.

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  Fig. 3 Preference and intention of future use of mobile device (mobile group, n=92).

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