MODIFICATION OF CAPS-1 FOR DIAGNOSIS OF PTSD IN AFGHAN REFUGEES

A DSM-III-R based instrument for the assessment of posttraumatic stres s disorder (PTSD), the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-1), was modified to accommodate cultural differences and translated into the Afghan languages Pushto and Farsi (Dari) and administered to 30 Afghan refugees living in the United States. The modified CAPS-1 was found t o be practical and reliable. Inter-item correlations were calculated o n the frequency and intensity scores for the 17 cardinal symptoms and the eight associated features items of the modified CAPS-1. The four r eexperiencing items demonstrated significant independence from the avo idance and arousal symptom clusters. However, the avoidance and arousa l symptom clusters were not found to be independent cardinal component s of PTSD in our participants. The CAPS-1 criteria for diagnosis of PT SD were met by 50% of the subjects evaluated.