PTSD Screening Instruments

Below is a list of PTSD screens, that is, brief questionnaires that may identify people who are more likely to have PTSD. A positive response to the screen does not necessarily indicate that a patient has Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. However, a positive response does indicate that a patient may have PTSD or trauma-related problems, and further investigation of trauma symptoms by a mental health professional may be warranted.

For each measure, a brief description, sample items, versions, and references are provided. Information on how to obtain the measure is also provided. 

The chart gives an overview of the measures described in this section.

• Chart - Screens for PTSD
• Beck Anxiety Inventory - Primary Care (BAI-PC)
• The Primary Care PTSD Screen (PC-PTSD)
• Short Form of the PTSD Checklist - Civilian Version
• Short Screening Scale for PTSD
• SPAN
• SPRINT
• Trauma Screening Questionnaire (TSQ)

PLEASE NOTE: Screens are to be used to determine possible problems, and positive cases should be followed up by assessment with a structured interview for PTSD.

Measures availability: Information on measures is available to everyone. However, the assessment tools themselves can only be distributed to qualified mental health professionals and researchers. We maintain measures developed by affiliated staff of the National Center for PTSD.