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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Quantitative Psychology and Measurement
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1354229

The Assessment of Reliability Generalisation of Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5): A Meta-analysis Authors

Provisionally accepted
  • Faculty of Humanities, North-West University, Mafikeng, South Africa

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The CAPS-5 is a reliable instrument for assessing PTSD symptoms, demonstrating strong consistency, validity, and reliability after a traumatic event. However, further research is warranted to explore the divergent validity of the CAPS-5 and its adaptation to diverse cultural contexts.Objective: In this meta-analysis, we endeavoured to comprehensively evaluate the reliability generalization of the CAPS-5 across diverse populations and clinical contexts.Methods: A reliability generalization meta-analysis on the psychometric properties of CAPS-5 was conducted, encompassing 15 studies. The original versions' psychometric properties were systematically retrieved from databases including PubMed, PsychNet, Medline, CHAHL, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, with a focus on studies published between 2013 and 2023. Two independent investigators evaluated study quality using QUADAS-2 and COSMIN RB, pre-registering the protocol in the Prospero database for transparency and minimizing bias risk.Results: Meta-analysis reveals CAPS-5 global reliability (α = 0.92 (95% CI [0.90, 0.94]), z = 99.44, p < .05 across 15 studies, supporting consistent internal consistency. Subscale analysis shows variability in Reexperiencing (α = 0.82), Avoidance (α = 0.68), Cognition and Mood (α = 0.82), and Hyperarousal (α = 0.74), with an overall estimate of 0.77 (95% CI [0.70;0.83]). Language-dependent analysis highlights reliability variations (α range: 0.83 to 0.92) across Brazilian-Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, German, Korean, and Portuguese. Test-retest reliability demonstrates stability (r = 0.82, 95% CI [0.79; 0.85]), with overall convergent validity (r = 0.59, 95% CI [0.50;0.68]).The meta-analysis affirms CAPS-5's robust global and subscale reliability across studies and languages, with stable test-retest results. Moderator analysis finds no significant impact, yet substantial residual heterogeneity remains unexplained. Our findings contribute intricate insights into the psychometric properties of this instrument, offering a more complete understanding of its utility in PTSD assessment.

    Keywords: Meta-analysis, Reliability generalization, CAPS-5, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, psychometric properties

    Received: 12 Dec 2023; Accepted: 26 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ajele, Idemudia and Ugwu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Kenni Wojujutari Ajele, Faculty of Humanities, North-West University, Mafikeng, South Africa

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.