The Psychometric Properties of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for the DSM-5 in Korean Adults Exposed to Natural Disasters

This study was conducted to examine the factor structure and other psychometric properties of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Disorders-Fifth Edition (PCL-5) in Korean adults (N = 234) exposed to natural disasters. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated almost the same excellent fit with both the six-factor Anhedonia model and the seven-factor Hybrid model. However, no significant difference in model fit was found between the two models, supporting the parsimonious six-factor Anhedonia model. In addition, the total scale and six subscales of the PCL-5 demonstrated good or acceptable internal consistency and good convergent and discriminant validity. These results provide additional evidence for expanding the use of the PCL-5 with non-English-speaking adults exposed to natural disasters. Implications for the use of this questionnaire in assessment and treatment contexts are discussed.