SPRINT: a brief global assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder

Abstract

This report describes the reliability, validity, treatment sensitivity, diagnostic performance and normative values for the Short Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Rating Interview (SPRINT), a brief, global assessment for PTSD. The SPRINT was administered to subjects participating in a clinical trial of PTSD and in a population survey assessing PTSD prevalence. The 8-item SPRINT includes questions assessing the core symptoms of PTSD, as well as related aspects of somatic malaise, stress vulnerability and functional impairment. Validity was assessed against the MINI structured interview, the Davidson Trauma Scale, Treatment Outcome for PTSD Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Sheehan Stress Vulnerability Scale, Sheehan Disability Scale and Clinical Global Impressions of Severity and Improvement Scales. Good test-retest reliability, internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity were obtained. The SPRINT was responsive to symptom change over time and correlated with comparable PTSD symptom measures. In victims of trauma, a score of 14-17 was associated with 96% diagnostic accuracy, whereas in those with PTSD, highest efficiency corresponded to a range of 11-13. The SPRINT demonstrates solid psychometric properties and can serve as a reliable, valid and homogeneous measure of PTSD illness severity and of global improvement.