Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Indonesian version of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) in a trauma-exposed sample of women.

Background

The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is the most widely used questionnaire to screen for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the literature and clinical contexts.

Objectives

This study aimed to: (1) perform a cross-cultural adaptation of PCL-5 to the Indonesian sociolinguistic context; (2) assess the psychometric validity and reliability of the adapted version; (3) examine the prevalence of PTSD in the sample using the diagnostic guidelines from DSM-5 and a cut-off score derived from empirical analysis; (4) evaluate PTSD factor structures using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); and (5) investigate the convergent and discriminant validity of the adapted scale.Method: The study focused on a sample of Indonesian women, including women who had experienced sexual assault, other types of trauma, or no traumatic exposure.

Results

The adapted Indonesian version of the PCL-5 showed strong internal consistency across all subscales. Convergent and discriminant validity were supported by moderate correlations with anxiety measures and lower correlations with quality-of-life indicators. The prevalence of PTSD based on diagnostic criteria from DSM-5 in the population was 77.6%. A cut-off score of 39 points in total showed a prevalence of PTSD of 70.1%. CFA supported the seven-factor hybrid model.

Conclusion

The findings support the use of the Indonesian PCL-5 as a culturally valid and psychometrically sound instrument for assessing PTSD symptoms in Indonesian women.