Temporal Stability of Self ‐Reported Trauma Exposure on the Life Events Checklist for DSM‐5

AbstractThe Life Events Checklist forDSM ‐5 (LEC ‐5) is a comprehensive screening instrument used to detect exposure to a range of potentially traumatic events. Despite its widespread use, research assessing the psychometric properties of scores on the LEC‐5—and trauma exposure more broadly—is scarce. Using a large sample of undergraduate students (N = 1,013), we sought to evaluate the reliability of trauma exposure reporting on the LEC ‐5 across 8‐ (N = 379) and 12 ‐week (N = 343) intervals. Reliability estimates were examined for trauma exposure type (e.g., experiencing, witnessing), traumatic event type (e.g., sexual assault), and index trauma (i.e., “worst event”) reporting. Reliability was more stable for events that were directly experienced, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) = .62–64, than events that were witnessed, ICCs = .47–.52, or learned about, ICCs = .48–.53. Test–retest agreement was fair to good for reports of s exual assault, physical assault, transportation accidents, natural disasters, and other sexual experiences, κs = .49–.72, but only when individuals directly experienced these events. By contrast, across both assessment intervals, the agreement was attenuated, all κs< .40, for events that individuals witnessed or learned about regardless of event type. For index events, only sexual assault and sudden accidental or violent deaths were consistently reported with a fair or better agreement, κs = .42–.64. These...
Source: Journal of Traumatic Stress - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: BRIEF REPORT Source Type: research