BACKGROUND: The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is high - it affects 2-5% of the population in some countries. These patients present worse quality of life, a higher number of detentions and legal problems, and use healthcare services more frequently than individuals without the disorder. Despite the growth of urban violence in Brazil, no instrument is currently available, in the Portuguese language, aimed at screening TEPT. The objective of this study was to translate, adapt and assess the applicability of the Portuguese version of the PTSD Checklist - Civilian Version (PCL-C), a self-administered scale for PTSD screening widely used in several countries. METHODS: Semantic equivalence between the Portuguese version and the original PCL-C was assessed through four stages: translation; back translation; formal equivalence comparison and adaptation; and interlocution with the target population. RESULTS: A Portuguese version for PCL-C was created preserving the meaning of the original version and showed to be easily applicable. DISCUSSION: The PCL-C was chosen in this study because it is a widely used instrument in English-speaking countries and has others utilities than the screening of PTSD. The interlocution with the target population, carried out with a relatively low number of patients (n = 21), showed that some participants understood the term "stress" as referring to a stressful lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS: Now that semantic equivalence of the Portuguese version of PCL-C was established, further studies are necessary in order to determine its psychometric properties for the Brazilian population.
Post-traumatic distress disorder; PTSD; PCL-C; screening tool; semantic equivalence
