The Bosnian version of the international self-report measure of posttraumatic stress disorder, the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, is reliable and valid in a variety of different adult samples affected by war

Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the internal
consistency and discriminant and convergent validity of the Bosnian
version of a self-report measure of posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PTDS). The PTDS
yields both a PTSD diagnosis according to the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition (DSM-IV) and a
measure of symptom severity. Methods: 812 people living in Sarajevo
or in Banja Luka in Bosnia-Herzegovina, of whom the majority had
experienced a high number of traumatic war events, were
administered the PTDS and other measures of trauma-related
psychopathology. The psychometric properties of the instrument were
assessed using Cronbach's alpha and principal components analysis,
and its construct validity was assessed via Spearman correlation
coefficients with the other instruments. Results: The PTDS and its
subscales demonstrated high internal consistency. The principal
components revealed by an exploratory analysis are broadly
consistent with the DSM-IV subscales except that they reproduce
some previously reported difficulties with the "numbing" items from
the avoidance subscale. The construct validity of the PTDS was
supported by appropriate correlations with other relevant measures
of trauma related psychopathology. Conclusion: The Bosnian version
of the PTDS thus appears to be a time-economic and psychometrically
sound measure for screening and assessing current PTSD. This
self-report measure awaits further validation by interview methods.