Assessing post-traumatic stress symptoms in a Latino prison population

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the Davidson trauma scale (DTS-S) and to determine the prevalence and correlates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a non-clinical random sample of prison inmates.

Design/methodology/approach

Probabilistic samples of 1,179 inmates from 26 penal institutions in Puerto Rico were selected using a multistage sampling design. Population estimates and correlations were obtained for PTSD, generalized anxiety and depression. The reliability, factor structure, and convergent validity of the DTS-S were assessed. Cross-validation was employed to confirm the results of the factor analyses.

Findings

Using the cut-offs adopted by the scale's author, 136 (13.4 percent) of the inmates are likely to have current PTSD and 117 (11.6 percent) reach the cut-off for sub-threshold PTSD. Confirmatory factor analysis generated two factors explaining 53 percent of the variance. High reliabilities were obtained for the total scale (α=0.95) and for the frequency and severity scales (α=0.90 and 0.91). Significantly higher DTS-S scores were found for females (t=2.26, p<0.025), for inmates diagnosed with depression or anxiety (t=2.02, p<0.05), and those reporting suicide attempts (t=4.47, p<0.0001).

Originality/value

Findings support that the DTS-S is a reliable and valid measure to assess PTSD symptoms in Latino inmate populations and to identify individuals at risk for the disorder that require confirmatory diagnosis and clinical interventions.

Citation

N. Caraballo, J., Pérez-Pedrogo, C. and E. Albizu-García, C. (2013), "Assessing post-traumatic stress symptoms in a Latino prison population", International Journal of Prisoner Health, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 196-207. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-02-2013-0004