Prevalence and Correlation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Flood Survivors in Sindh, Pakistan: Insights from the Urdu Translation of PCL-5

Objective: The present study was aimed at the Urdu translation and psychometric validation of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5) among flood survivors in Sindh, Pakistan.Method: The translated Urdu version was used to identify the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among flood survivors in Sindh, Pakistan. The original version of the scale was first translated into Urdu, followed by a back-translation. After the completion of the translation process, the psychometric investigation was performed. Data was gathered from 536 flood survivors aged 18 years and above. The response rate of the current study was 76.5%.Results: Cronbach’s alpha for assessing internal reliability was found to be 0.714. Factor analysis of the translated version revealed four sub-scales, and the reliability of those sub-scales ranged between 0.685 and 0.738. The translated version was successfully adapted to assess PTSD in flood survivors. It was observed that the percentage of people affected by the stress was high (n= 78.5%).Residents of the impacted areas were substantially more likely to be affected by a moderate level of symptoms of PTSD (n= 82%).Conclusion: The Urdu version of the PCL-5, demonstrating good validity, is a useful tool; however, further studies are needed to assess PTSD prevalence by incorporating organized clinical interviews.