Assessing trauma-related symptomatology in the Netherlands: the Dutch Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS).

Background

Most adults have experienced at least one Potentially Traumatic Event (PTE) in their life. Yet, many individuals who develop adverse outcomes such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are not identified and therefore not treated. Hence, there is a need for better screening tools for trauma-related disorders after exposure to PTEs.

Objective

The aim of the present study was to assess validity and reliability of the Dutch version of the Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS), an easy-to-administer transdiagnostic screener for trauma-related disorders, using a community-based sample of the Dutch adult (16+) population.Method: An online survey was conducted among 1377 Dutch adults. Clinical semi-structured interviews were used as gold-standard comparative measures of PTSD (CAPS-5), depression, and anxiety (MINI) in a subset of participants (n = 188). The psychometric characteristics of the Dutch GPS were assessed. We determined the optimal cutoffs for screening for (complex) PTSD, anxiety and depression. We compared the Dutch GPS screening performance with other established screeners (PCL-5, GAD-7, and PHQ-9). We performed regression analyses and analyses of covariance to identify risk-factors and symptoms severity groups regarding impaired social and work functioning.

Results

The Dutch GPS showed good performance regarding internal consistency, convergent, and divergent validity, and excellent screening performance for (complex) PTSD, anxiety, and depression comparable to screeners for these specific disorders. Younger age, female sex, being unemployed, having a history of mental illness, having experienced childhood trauma, or other stressful events, and low social support were risk factors for higher GPS total symptom score.

Conclusions

The Dutch GPS is a valid and reliable instrument for detection of PTSD and other trauma-related disorders. It is therefore a valuable easily applicable tool that can support diagnostic processes in both research and clinical practice across a wide variety of settings.