The psychometric properties of the Bangla Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): preliminary reports from a large-scale validation study

Background The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5) is the most widely used screening tool in assessing posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders (DSM-5) criteria. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the newly translated Bangla PCL-5. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 10,605 individuals (61.0% male; mean age: 23.6 +/- 5.5 [13-71 years]) during May and June 2020, several months after the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh. The survey included the Bangla PCL-5 and the PHQ-9 depression scale. We used confirmatory factor analysis to test the four-factor DSM-5 model, the six-factor Anhedonia model, and the seven-factor hybrid model. Results The Bangla PCL-5 displayed adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.90). The Bangla PCL-5 score was significantly correlated with scores of the PHQ-9 depression scale, confirming strong convergent validity. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated the models had a good fit to the data, including the four-factor DSM-5 model, the six-factor Anhedonia model, and the seven-factor hybrid model. Overall, the seven-factor hybrid model exhibited the best fit to the data. Conclusions The Bangla PCL-5 appears to be a valid and reliable psychometric screening tool that may be employed in the prospective evaluation of posttraumatic stress disorder in Bangladesh.