Document Type
Article
Department
Institute for Human Development
Abstract
Background: The psychometric properties of the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) are undocumented in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) at large. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swahili version of the tool, S-PC-PTSD-5, in a community sample of adults 18 years and older drawn from Nairobi, Mombasa and Kwale counties in Kenya.
Methods: Analysis of cross-sectional data from 1431 adults from the community was conducted, examining the reliability, factorial structure, measurement invariance, and convergent and divergent validity of the interviewer-administered S-PC-PTSD-5.
Results: Out of 1431 adults who completed the S-PC-PTSD-5, 666 (46.5%) reported experiencing at least one traumatic event. Internal consistency of the S-PC-PTSD-5 was good overall, with alpha and omega values above 0.7. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) results indicated a one-factor structure of the S-PC-PTSD-5 for the overall sample. Multigroup CFA also demonstrated factorial invariance for sex for the one-factor structure of S-PC-PTSD-5. Scores for S-PC-PTSD-5 significantly correlated (positively) with those of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD7) and depressive symptoms (PHQ9), indicating convergent validity. S-PC-PTSD-5 scores also significantly correlated (negatively) with the WHO-5 wellbeing index, supporting divergent validity.
Conclusions: The S-PC-PTSD-5 is a reliable and valid unidimensional measure. It appears to be a valuable screening measure for probable PTSD in both urban and rural community settings in Kenya. Nonetheless, to confidently identify those who may need treatment/additional support, further research on the reliability and validity of S-PC-PTSD-5 is required, especially its diagnostic accuracy at different cutoff scores.
Publication (Name of Journal)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1338311
Recommended Citation
Mwangala, P. N.,
Guni, J. N.,
Mwangi, P.,
Makandi, M.,
Kerubo, A.,
Odhiambo, R.,
Abubakar, A.
(2024). The psychometric properties of the swahili version of the primary care post traumatic stress disorder screen for DSM-5 among adults in Kenya. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1-11.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_ied/216
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.