Concordance between clinician-assessed and self-reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder across three ethnoracial groups

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant health problem that affects people from all ethnoracial groups. In the United States, investigators have found that minority groups, particularly Asian Americans, are more likely to withdraw from treatment and to display poor health treatment outcomes compared with Caucasians. Despite the extant research regarding ethnicity and treatment, limited research exists focusing on the relationship between ethnicity and the assessment of mental health symptoms. Previous literature has found that Asian Americans may underreport mental health symptoms. Relatively less empirical work has been conducted with indigenous populations, especially those of the Pacific Islands, such as Native Hawaiians, Samoans, and Tahitians. Questions remain as to whether the method of assessment may influence symptom reporting. For example, researchers have not studied whether or not clinician-assessed ratings of mental health symptoms differ from self-report measures. The current study examined the concordance between clinician-assessed and self-reported ratings of PTSD severity in male veterans with PTSD who identified themselves as Asian American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or Caucasian. Results suggest moderate concordance between clinician-administered and self-reported PTSD assessments. Findings from this study can be used to develop more accurate methods of capturing PTSD symptoms among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and other minority groups.