Screening for PTSD in motor vehicle accident survivors using the PSS-SR and IES

The current study compares the total scores of two potential posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) screening tools, the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the PTSD Symptom Scale, Self-Report (PSS-SR), to the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) in a large sample of motor vehicle accident (MVA) survivors (N = 229, of whom 43% met criteria for PTSD). For the IES using a cutoff score of 27, sensitivity was .91, specificity was .72, and overall correct classification was .80. For the PSS-SR using a cutoff score of 14, sensitivity was .91, specificity was .62, and overall correct classification was .74. Compared to those in studies of other trauma populations, the identified IES cutoff score is somewhat lower for this population of MVA survivors and the identified PSS-SR cutoff score is consistent with previous findings. These data support the use of the IES and the PSS-SR as PTSD screening tools in MVA samples.