SPRINT OBS and SPRINT-SR

SPRINT OBS

The SPRINT© is a brief, reliable interview-based scale to
capture the chief symptoms and manifestations of posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD).

Many PTSD scales are designed to include all the individual DSM diagnostic symptoms. They must therefore be revised whenever DSM criteria change. The PTSD SPRINT was purposely designed to include many of the major symptoms of PTSD in general, but without including every single one of the large number of DSM symptoms. It also includes other important aspects that might be responsible for subjects to seek treatment. For example, the presence of physical symptoms like pain and fatigue, which are not among the DSM diagnostic criteria, are often important markers of PTSD and cause considerable distress.

A measure of resilience is also included. Such features are therefore included in the scale, which also contains items measuring impairment of function and stress-reactivity. The PTSD SPRINT thus contains eight main questions that assess PTSD, plus two optional questions to evaluate the effect of treatment where relevant.

SPRINT-SR

The PTSD SPRINT is available as a self-rated version, which is identical in
content to the interview form, with appropriate modifications in title
and instructions. When the scale is to be given as a self-rating, it is
important that an assistant or health professional has explained the importance of identifying the chief trauma and of responding to all
items 1-8 and, if also relevant, of items 9 and 10.

Preliminary work by the author has established that the SPRINT-SR and
SPRINT correspond closely to one another. In a sample of 25 psychiatric
outpatients, the total scores were 15.4 (6.37) and 14.6 (7.69) for the SR
and Interview respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient was
0.926 (p<0.001). The Cronbach α = 0.794 for the SPRINT-SR, compared
to α = 0.910 for the Interview.

Additional information about the SPRINT can be found at the National Center for Biotechnology Information site.

To learn more about the PTSD SPRINT scale, navigate to the following pages on the site:

Requests to obtain the SPRINT can be sent to mail@cd-risc.com.

To learn more about post-traumatic stress, visit the NIMH page on the topic.