Validity of The PTSD Symptoms Scale Self Report (PSS-SR) in Iran

Since1980, when Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was officially recognized as a unique diagnostic entity and was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-III, a large body of research has been done in the assessment of this disorder. This study investigated the applicability of the Persian form of the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale Self Report (PSS-SR) in a group of Iranians who had been directly involved in a disaster in Iran (from May 4th 2002 to 20 April 2005). The participants were 109 individuals who had been directly involved in one of the three disasters which happened in Iran: A- 20 adolescents who survived the boat sinking or witnessed it in Tehran''s city park on May 4th 2002; B- 50 persons who survived the Bam earthquake; C- 39 persons who survived the accident in Tehran''s airport on April 20th 2005. The assessment measures used were the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale Self Report (PSS-SR) and psychiatric interview based on DSM-IV-TR. 90 participants (81%) were diagnosed with PTSD using the PSS-SR and 93 (83.8%) were diagnosed with PTSD by psychiatric interview. Correlation coefficients between the PSS-SR and the psychiatric interviews were significant (r=. 62, p<. 001). The PSS-SR appears to be an effective and efficient method of screening for PTSD.