The Utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory in the Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in OEF/OIF/OND Veterans. (December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bellet, Benjamin W.; McDevitt-Murphy, Meghan E.; Thomas, Danielle H.; Luciano, Matthew T.
• Is Part Of: Assessment. Volume 25:Number 8(2018)
• Page Start: 1074
• Page End: 1083
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Subjects: personality assessment inventory -- posttraumatic stress disorder -- veterans; Psychological tests -- Periodicals; Psychodiagnostics -- Periodicals; Personality tests -- Periodicals; 150.287
• DOI: 10.1177/1073191116681627
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1073-1911

Abstract

We examined the use of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) in a small sample of 47 U.S. military veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Approximately half of the sample met criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. PAI profiles were compared between the PTSD and non-PTSD groups. The PTSD group had clinically significant scores (≥ 70 T ) on the PAI for 5 clinical scales (anxiety, anxiety-related disorders, depression, paranoia, and schizophrenia) and 10 clinical subscales consistent with the typical symptom picture for PTSD. Effect size correlations ( r ) between scales and diagnosis group membership were large ( r ≥ .5) for several scales that reflect PTSD symptoms and for the PTSD LOGIT function. In a receiver operating characteristics curve analysis, the PTSD LOGIT function and the Traumatic Stress Subscale both demonstrated good diagnostic utility (areas under the curve > .80).