Brief 5-item PTSD screen for the past month after a frightening, horrible, or traumatic event.

  • Answer the trauma gate first. A No response ends the official screen there.
  • If the gate is Yes, the five symptom items score from 0 to 5 and the report keeps both common cut-points visible: 3+ and 4+.
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Share result

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Screen total
What this result suggests

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Cut-point context
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Recommended next actions
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Current review facts
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When to seek support

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Higher-scored focus
Items currently carrying the screen signal.
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Yes

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No symptom items were endorsed on this run.

Lower-scored anchors
Items not endorsed or not asked on this run.
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No

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The screen completed at the trauma gate, so the five symptom items were not asked.

Answer review
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Primary-care PTSD screening is a short first pass, not a diagnostic interview. It gives a busy clinic, intake conversation, or personal preparation note a structured way to ask about trauma-related symptoms while preserving the need for fuller assessment when the screen is positive or the situation is unsafe.

Posttraumatic stress symptoms can include intrusive memories, avoiding reminders, constant threat alert, emotional numbness, and guilt or blame tied to what happened. Those symptoms have a different meaning when they are connected to a frightening, horrible, or traumatic event and when they are present in the recent recall period. PC-PTSD-5 asks about the past month, so a remote history of distress and a current symptom pattern should not be treated as the same evidence.

Trauma exposure
The starting gate that asks whether a qualifying frightening, horrible, or traumatic event has ever happened.
Past-month symptoms
The five yes/no symptom areas counted only after trauma exposure is endorsed.
Positive screen
A signal that fuller assessment is appropriate, not proof that PTSD is present.

The trauma gate is central to the screen. If exposure is denied, the official PC-PTSD-5 path stops and records a total of 0. If exposure is endorsed, the five symptom items are counted from 0 to 5. That structure keeps the symptom questions from being treated as a general stress or anxiety checklist when the measure is about probable PTSD after traumatic exposure.

PC-PTSD-5 path from trauma exposure gate to symptom count and follow-up threshold review

Cut points are easy to misread because the same symptom total can change labels when a setting uses a 3+ threshold instead of a 4+ threshold. A score of 3 is the clearest split case: positive under 3+ and below cut point under 4+. That is why the cutoff rule should be named before a result is used for referral, documentation, or follow-up planning.

PC-PTSD-5 results belong in context. Trauma history, symptom duration, impairment, safety, medical conditions, substance use, depression, anxiety, and cultural or language factors can all affect what should happen next. A lower score can still sit alongside real distress, and a positive score still needs fuller assessment before anyone treats it as a diagnosis.

How to Use This Tool:

Complete the prompts in order. The trauma gate controls whether the five symptom items are counted.

  1. Select Start assessment, then answer the trauma exposure gate. The progress bar should show the first prompt as answered after a Yes or No choice.
  2. If the gate answer is No, the assessment completes at the gate. Trauma screen snapshot shows 0/5, and the report notes that the five symptom items were not asked.
  3. If the gate answer is Yes, answer all five past-month symptom prompts. Each Yes adds 1 point, and the question navigator marks completed prompts with a check icon.
  4. Read Screen total first, then compare Cut-point context for 3+ and 4+. A total of 3 needs extra care because the two cutoff views disagree.
  5. Use Higher-scored focus, Lower-scored anchors, and Answer review to tie the total back to the exact endorsed and non-endorsed symptom areas.
  6. If the gate answer or a symptom answer was chosen incorrectly, start a clean run before relying on the report. Copied result links, chart images, CSV rows, and DOCX exports can include sensitive responses.

Interpreting Results:

Read the gate answer and the score together. A No gate means the official PC-PTSD-5 path ended at 0/5. A Yes gate means the score is a count of Yes answers across five past-month symptom items.

Visible output How to read it Check before acting
Trauma gate No, total 0/5 The official screen stopped at the gate. The symptom items were not interpreted. Make sure No was the intended gate answer. If distress remains important, use a broader conversation or a better-matched measure.
Gate Yes, total 0 to 2 The result is below both 3+ and 4+ cut points. Review any endorsed item and the When to seek support note, especially if symptoms are persistent, disruptive, or safety-related.
Gate Yes, total 3 The result is positive under 3+ and below 4+. Confirm which cutoff your setting uses before treating the result as positive or below threshold.
Gate Yes, total 4 or 5 The result is positive under both common cut points. Use the endorsed items and Recommended next actions as a handoff into fuller PTSD assessment.

A positive screen is not a diagnosis. It means the brief screen found enough PTSD-related signal to justify further assessment. The Overall lane, Top area, and Cutoff context cards summarize the result, while Answer review verifies exactly which symptom areas produced the score.

A lower total should not be used as a stand-alone rule-out when symptoms are severe, repeated, worsening, or affecting sleep, work, relationships, concentration, or safety. Use the score as a starting point for review, not as the final word on care needs.

Technical Details:

PC-PTSD-5 is a gated yes/no screening instrument. The first item asks about lifetime exposure to a frightening, horrible, or traumatic event. Only a Yes answer opens the five symptom items, which ask how that exposure has affected the person during the past month.

The score is a simple count after the gate is passed. There are no weighted items, reverse-scored items, subscales, or severity bands in the total itself. Each endorsed symptom item contributes 1 point, so the possible score after a Yes gate is 0 to 5.

A total of 0 can come from two different paths. A No gate records 0 because the screen stops before symptom scoring. A Yes gate with five No symptom answers records 0 because no past-month symptom items were endorsed. Those two paths have the same number but different follow-up meaning.

Formula Core

The gate rule comes before the arithmetic count.

score = 0 when trauma gate is No score = ∑ i=1 5 xi when trauma gate is Yes xi = 1 for Yes, 0 for No

If the gate is Yes and the five symptom answers are Yes, No, Yes, Yes, No, the total is 1 + 0 + 1 + 1 + 0 = 3/5. That total is at the 3+ cutoff and one point below the 4+ cutoff.

Score Construction

Component Rule Range Interpretation role
Trauma gate No records the total as 0; Yes opens the symptom items. 0 or proceed Determines whether symptom scoring happens.
Symptom item Yes = 1 and No = 0 for each of five past-month items. 0 to 1 Counts one symptom area after the gate is passed.
Screen total Sum of the five symptom item scores after a Yes gate. 0 to 5 Brief screening signal used for cutoff comparison.

Cutoff Rules

Cutoff view Positive when Below cut point when Practical meaning
3+ Total is greater than or equal to 3 Total is 0, 1, or 2 More sensitive view that identifies more possible cases.
4+ Total is greater than or equal to 4 Total is 0, 1, 2, or 3 Balanced cutoff described in VA primary-care guidance.

National Center for PTSD guidance describes a cut point of 4 as balancing false negatives and false positives in a large VA primary-care sample, while noting that lower or higher cut points may be appropriate depending on sample characteristics, screening purpose, and follow-up capacity. The score itself does not change when the cutoff changes.

Symptom Areas

Area Past-month focus Score effect
Intrusion Nightmares or unwanted thoughts about the event. Yes adds 1 point.
Avoidance Avoiding thoughts, feelings, situations, or reminders. Yes adds 1 point.
Arousal Being constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled. Yes adds 1 point.
Detachment Feeling numb or detached from people, activities, or surroundings. Yes adds 1 point.
Cognition and mood Guilt or blame linked to the event or its effects. Yes adds 1 point.

Repeating the screen is most comparable when the same recall period, gate interpretation, cutoff rule, and follow-up setting are used. A changed total can reflect symptom change, different understanding of the gate, or different willingness to endorse an item, so repeated results should be read with the surrounding context.

Responsible Use Note:

PC-PTSD-5 is an informational screening instrument. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or an emergency safety assessment.

  • Use a positive screen as a reason for fuller PTSD assessment, preferably with a qualified clinician.
  • Use endorsed items as follow-up cues, not as proof that one symptom area explains the whole situation.
  • Seek direct emergency or crisis support right away if there is immediate danger, risk of self-harm, or uncertainty about safety.
  • Be careful with copied links, chart images, CSV files, and DOCX exports because they can reveal sensitive trauma-screening answers.

Worked Examples:

Gate stop with ongoing distress

Someone answers No to the trauma exposure gate. Trauma screen snapshot shows 0/5, Cut-point context stays below both cut points, and Answer review records that the symptom items were not asked. If distress still needs attention, the better next step is a broader mental-health conversation rather than stretching this PTSD screen beyond its gate rule.

Three endorsed items

A Yes gate followed by Yes answers for nightmares or unwanted memories, avoidance of reminders, and being on guard produces a Screen total of 3/5. The 3+ row says Positive screen, while the 4+ row says Below cut-point. Record the cutoff rule before treating that result as clearly positive or below threshold.

Positive under both cut points

A Yes gate with four endorsed symptom items produces a Screen total of 4/5. Both cutoff rows are positive, and Higher-scored focus lists the endorsed symptom areas that should be carried into fuller assessment.

Wrong gate answer

A person accidentally answers No to the trauma gate even though a qualifying event should have been endorsed. The report completes at 0/5 and lists no symptom items. That result should be discarded; start a clean assessment and complete all five symptom prompts before sharing or exporting the report.

FAQ:

Does a positive PC-PTSD-5 result diagnose PTSD?

No. A positive result means fuller PTSD assessment is appropriate. Diagnosis depends on broader clinical review, including trauma history, duration, impairment, other possible explanations, and safety needs.

Why does a No gate answer produce 0/5?

The official scoring path begins with trauma exposure. When the gate is No, the measure is complete at 0/5 and the five symptom items are not interpreted.

Should I use 3+ or 4+ as the cutoff?

The report shows both. VA guidance describes 4+ as a balanced cutoff in a large VA primary-care sample, while a lower cutoff can be considered when broader detection is preferred and follow-up resources are available.

What if symptoms are serious but the total is below both cut points?

Use the Answer review and When to seek support sections instead of relying only on the total. Persistent, intense, or safety-related distress deserves direct human follow-up even with a lower score.

Can I compare two PC-PTSD-5 runs?

Comparison is most meaningful when the same past-month frame, trauma gate interpretation, and cutoff rule are used. A changed gate answer can make totals look different even when symptoms have not changed in the same way.

Are copied links and exports safe to share?

Treat them as sensitive. Copied result links, chart images, CSV rows, and DOCX exports can reveal trauma-screening answers and should be shared only with people who should see that information.

Glossary:

Trauma gate
The first PC-PTSD-5 question that decides whether symptom items are counted.
Endorsed item
A symptom item answered Yes.
Cut point
The score boundary used to mark a screen as positive or below threshold.
Past-month frame
The recall period used for the five symptom questions after a Yes gate.
Fuller assessment
A broader clinical review beyond the brief five-item screen.

References: