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This self-assessment Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) , was originally developed by Prins, A., Bovin, M. J., Kimerling, R., Kaloupek, D. G, Marx, B. P., Pless Kaiser, A., & Schnurr, P. P . TraitProfiler provides an interactive digital version for educational, informational, and self-exploration purposes only.

Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5)

Background

About the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5)

The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) is a brief self-report screening questionnaire designed to identify symptoms commonly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following exposure to traumatic experiences.
The PC-PTSD-5 was developed by the Prins, Annabel and Colleagues as a quick and efficient PTSD screening tool for use in primary healthcare, mental health, and trauma-related settings.
The questionnaire evaluates trauma exposure, intrusive memories, avoidance behaviors, hypervigilance, emotional numbing, guilt, and trauma-related psychological distress associated with PTSD.
Research studies have demonstrated strong reliability and validity for the PC-PTSD-5 across trauma research, military psychology, psychiatry, primary care, emergency medicine, and mental health screening environments.

Psychological Domains Measured

Trauma Exposure
Measures exposure to frightening, traumatic, life-threatening, or emotionally overwhelming events.
Intrusive Symptoms
Measures unwanted memories, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and trauma-related nightmares.
Avoidance
Measures attempts to avoid trauma reminders, distressing thoughts, emotions, or trauma-related situations.
Hypervigilance and Startle Response
Measures heightened alertness, exaggerated startle response, watchfulness, and feeling constantly on guard.
Emotional Numbing and Detachment
Measures emotional disconnection, numbness, reduced emotional responsiveness, and interpersonal detachment.
Trauma-Related Guilt
Measures self-blame, guilt, shame, and difficulty emotionally processing traumatic experiences.
The PC-PTSD-5 is commonly used in trauma screening, military psychology, psychiatry, primary healthcare, emergency care, and mental health settings. The questionnaire is intended as a screening instrument and should not be used as a standalone diagnostic tool.

Procedure

This questionnaire is designed to evaluate psychological experiences commonly associated with trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress reactions.

Participants first identify whether they have experienced a traumatic event and then answer questions related to trauma-related emotional, cognitive, and behavioral experiences occurring during the past month.

The assessment focuses on intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance, emotional numbing, hypervigilance, guilt, and trauma-related distress.

Participation

This assessment is designed for adolescents and adults interested in understanding trauma-related emotional and psychological experiences associated with post-traumatic stress reactions.

The questionnaire is intended for educational, screening, and research purposes only.

Results should not be considered a clinical diagnosis or substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric, trauma-focused, or medical evaluation.

Scoring & Interpretation

Responses are scored according to the presence or absence of trauma-related psychological symptoms.

Higher scores generally indicate stronger post-traumatic stress-related experiences including intrusive memories, avoidance behaviors, emotional numbing, hypervigilance, guilt, and trauma-related distress.

The trauma exposure question is used as a screening item and is not included in the overall symptom score.

Dimensional scores may also be calculated to evaluate specific trauma-related psychological domains independently.

Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) Questionnaire

Instructions & Terms

Below is the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5), a digitally adapted 6- items self-assessment questionnaire. This assessment does not provide a clinical diagnosis, medical determination, or substitute for professional psychological evaluation.Please answer each question honestly based on your personal experiences.

The first question asks whether you have experienced a traumatic or highly distressing event at any point in your life.

The remaining questions focus on symptoms experienced during the past month related to that traumatic experience.

Answer each question using “Yes” or “No” based on whether the experience applies to you.

There are no right or wrong answers. Some reactions to traumatic experiences may occur naturally after highly stressful or frightening events.
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Sometimes things happen to people that are unusually or especially frightening, horrible, or traumatic. For example:

- a serious accident or fire
- a physical or sexual assault or abuse
- an earthquake or flood
- a war
- seeing someone be killed or seriously injured
- having a loved one die through homicide or suicide
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Question 1 of 6 Trauma Exposure

Have you ever experienced this kind of event?


Question 2 of 6 Intrusive Symptoms

In the past month, have you had nightmares about the event(s) or thought about the event(s) when you did not want to?


Question 3 of 6 Avoidance

In the past month, have you tried hard not to think about the event(s) or went out of your way to avoid situations that reminded you of the event(s)?


Question 4 of 6 Hypervigilance and Startle Response

In the past month, have you been constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled?


Question 5 of 6 Emotional Numbing and Detachment

In the past month, have you felt numb or detached from people, activities, or your surroundings?


Question 6 of 6 Trauma-Related Guilt

In the past month, have you felt guilty or unable to stop blaming yourself or others for the event(s) or any problems the event(s) may have caused?




Psychometric Norms

3
Participants
61%
Community Mean
28.4%
Sample SD
100%
Highest Observed Score
33%
Lowest Observed Score
2026–2026
Collection Period

Current normative data for theCurrent normative data for the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) are derived from 3 anonymous participant responses collected through TraitProfiler between 2026 and 2026. All response data are collected anonymously and are intended exclusively for educational, psychometric, and non-commercial research purposes.

Sources
  1. Prins, Annabel et al. “The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5): Development and Evaluation Within a Veteran Primary Care Sample.” Journal of general internal medicine vol. 31,10 (2016)