Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5)
The PC-PTSD-5 begins with a lifetime event question. If you answer Yes, it asks five questions about the past month. It is a screen, not a diagnosis.
Evidence passport
Instrument and scoring
- Scientific name
- Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5)
- NuraCheck implementation version
- 1.0.0
- Scoring method
- Published sum score
- Score shown
- Overall score and dimensions
- Primary reference
- Prins A, Bovin MJ, Smolenski DJ, 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. 2016;31:1206–1211. Open publication
- Published scoring source
- No separate source is recorded for this field.
- Exact form or administration source
- No separate source is recorded for this field.
Who and where the evidence may apply
Evidence comes from particular studies and language versions, so its relevance can vary.
- Intended audience
- Adults reflecting on experiences after a frightening, horrible or traumatic event.
- Language version shown
- English (en) · Base wording used by this NuraCheck implementation
- Study participants and settings
- The cited development study used a convenience sample of 398 US Veterans in primary care (mean age 63.3; 96% men; 57% non-Hispanic White, 12% non-Hispanic Black and 10% Hispanic). Its fit may differ for younger people, women, civilians and other health systems.
Review the study used for these details
Scores do not capture culture, minority stress, disability or barriers to support. These factors can shape responses.
The evidence cannot determine whether a questionnaire fits you personally. NuraCheck does not ask for or infer identity to decide this.
Language provenance
- Language version shown
- English (en) · Base wording used by this NuraCheck implementation
- Wording scope
- Full instrument
- Independent language review
- Not recorded separately for the base wording
Base-wording source recorded by NuraCheck
Language provenance and independent validation are different. NuraCheck does not infer a reviewer or review date when the evidence record does not name one.
Licence and permitted use
- Licence status
- Public domain
- Rights holder or steward
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD
- Permission record checked
- Jul 14, 2026
- Electronic use
- Allowed by the reviewed permission record
- Translation
- Allowed by the reviewed permission record
PC-PTSD-5 developed by staff at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD; public domain.
What this questionnaire cannot answer
Performance varies by population and purpose, and the published cut-point may miss some people. NuraCheck is not a clinical assessment service.
What your result can show
The score counts Yes answers to five past-month questions, from 0 to 5. A cut-point of 4 was published from a US Veteran primary-care sample; reaching it may support a conversation about further assessment.
Important limitations
Performance varies by population and purpose, and the published cut-point may miss some people. NuraCheck is not a clinical assessment service.