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ABSTRACT
The findings are reported from a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the posttraumatic screening checklist (PCL) created by CitationWeathers et al. (1993). One hundred and eighty-six individuals receiving either preventive HIV information or ongoing HIV counseling from community-based AIDS organizations in the New York City area completed the PCL checklist. To identify a model relevant to screening posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within the HIV/AIDS community, six CFAs were conducted. Results indicated that the PTSD scale should include attention to four general areas: a) reexperiencing the traumatic event; b) avoidance of anything associated with the traumatic event; c) a sense of numbing; and d) a hyperarousal state. The CFA produced a more concise model of 12 items, relevant to the HIV community. Future research suggests that the relationships between different components of trauma exposure and different manifestations of PTSD should be examined further.