A multidimensional spectrum approach to post-traumatic stress disorder: comparison between the Structured Clinical Interview for Trauma and Loss Spectrum (SCI-TALS) and the Self-Report instrument (TALS-SR)

Abstract

Dimensional approaches to psychiatric disorders have shown an increased relevance in the ongoing debate for the forthcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. In line with previously validated instruments for the assessment of different mood, anxiety, eating and psychotic spectra, we tested the validity and reliability of a newly developed Structured Clinical Interview for Trauma and Loss Spectrum (SCI-TALS). The instrument is based on a multidimensional approach to post-traumatic stress spectrum that includes a range of threatening or frightening experiences, as well as a variety of potentially significant losses, to which an individual can be exposed. Furthermore, it explores the spectrum of the peritraumatic reactions and post-traumatic symptoms that may ensue from either type of life events, targeting soft signs and subthreshold conditions, as well as temperamental and personality traits that may constitute risk factors for the development of the disorder. The aim of the present study is to describe the reliability of the self-report version of the SCI-TALS: the TALS-SR. Thirty patients with PTSD and thirty healthy control subjects were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Half of the patients and controls received the TALS-SR first and the SCI-TALS after 15 days; for the other half of the sample, the order of administration was reversed. Agreement between the self-report and the interview formats was substantial. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.934 to 0.994, always exceeding the threshold of 0.90. Our findings provide substantial support for the reliability of the TALS-SR questionnaire.