Diagnostic efficiency of the personality assessment inventory LOGIT function for posttraumatic stress disorder in women

A psychometric examination of the PAI-SF in persons with recent stroke

OBJECTIVE

The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Personality Assessment Inventory-Short Form (PAI-SF) for use with patients with recent stroke. Method: Study participants (N = 170) were inpatients in a tertiary hospital in Western Canada admitted to a rehabilitation department who completed a neuropsychological evaluation as part of their care. All participants completed the full-form of the PAI (344 items) and both full- and short-form (160 items) versions were scored from the same protocol. Results: Internal consistency for the PAI-SF scales was assessed by Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Alpha coefficients for clinical scales fell between the range of 0.53 (ANT) to 0.88 (ANX), with three scales (ANT, ALC, and DRG) falling below satisfactory (<0.70). Alpha coefficients were unsatisfactory for validity, treatment, and interpersonal scales. Absolute differences between mean clinical scale t scores between the full and short-form PAI clinical scales ranged from 0.04 (DEP) to 1.18 (MAN). For an individual, absolute differences in scale t scores between the full- and short-forms ranged from 0 to 30 t scores. On average, an individual varied 3.75 t scores between the PAI full- and short-form across all validity, clinical, interpersonal, and treatment scales. Component structure was similar across the full- and short-forms. Conclusions: Findings are somewhat consistent with previous literature on the PAI-SF as the full- and short-forms had minimal differences and similar psychometric properties. However, caution is warranted for the clinical utility for both forms given the lower alpha coefficients and different structure. Only certain clinical scales appear to have strong psychometric properties.

The Utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory in the Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in OEF/OIF/OND Veterans

We examined the use of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) in a small sample of 47 U.S. military veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Approximately half of the sample met criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. PAI profiles were compared between the PTSD and non-PTSD groups. The PTSD group had clinically significant scores (≥ 70 T) on the PAI for 5 clinical scales (anxiety, anxiety-related disorders, depression, paranoia, and schizophrenia) and 10 clinical subscales consistent with the typical symptom picture for PTSD. Effect size correlations ( r) between scales and diagnosis group membership were large ( r ≥ .5) for several scales that reflect PTSD symptoms and for the PTSD LOGIT function. In a receiver operating characteristics curve analysis, the PTSD LOGIT function and the Traumatic Stress Subscale both demonstrated good diagnostic utility (areas under the curve > .80).

A decision-tree approach to the assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder: Engineering empirically rigorous and ecologically valid assessment measures

Structured diagnostic interviews are widely considered to be the optimal method of assessing symptoms of posttraumatic stress; however, few clinicians report using structured assessments to guide clinical practice. One commonly cited impediment to these assessment approaches is the amount of time required for test administration and interpretation. Empirically keyed methods to reduce the administration time of structured assessments may be a viable solution to increase the use of standardized and reliable diagnostic tools. Thus, the present research conducted an initial feasibility study using a sample of treatment-seeking military veterans (N = 1,517) to develop a truncated assessment protocol based on the Clinician-Administered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Scale (CAPS). Decision-tree analysis was utilized to identify a subset of predictor variables among the CAPS items that were most predictive of a diagnosis of PTSD. The algorithm-driven, atheoretical sequence of questions reduced the number of items administered by more than 75% and classified the validation sample at 92% accuracy. These results demonstrated the feasibility of developing a protocol to assess PTSD in a way that imposes little assessment burden while still providing a reliable categorization.

The co-occurrence of major depressive disorder among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder: a meta-analysis

Although co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with greater distress, impairment, and health care utilization than PTSD alone, the magnitude of this problem is uncertain. This meta-analysis aimed to estimate the mean prevalence of current MDD co-occurrence among individuals with PTSD and examine potential moderating variables (U.S. nationality, gender, trauma type, military service, referral type) that may influence the rate of PTSD and MDD co-occurrence. Meta-analytic findings (k = 57 studies; N = 6,670 participants) revealed that 52%, 95% confidence interval [48, 56], of individuals with current PTSD had co-occurring MDD. When outliers were removed, military samples and interpersonal traumas demonstrated higher rates of MDD among individuals with PTSD than civilian samples and natural disasters, respectively. U.S. nationality, gender, and referral type did not significantly account for differences in co-occurrence rates. This high co-occurrence rate accentuates the importance of routinely assessing MDD among individuals with PTSD and continuing research into the association between these disorders.