The Criterion A problem revisited: controversies and challenges in defining and measuring psychological trauma

Frank W Weathers; Terence M Keane

doi:10.1002/jts.20210

The Criterion A problem revisited: controversies and challenges in defining and measuring psychological trauma

J Trauma Stress. 2007 Apr;20(2):107-21. doi: 10.1002/jts.20210.

Authors

Frank W Weathers¹, Terence M Keane

Affiliation

¹ Department of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA. weathfw@auburn.edu

PMID: 17427913
DOI: 10.1002/jts.20210

Abstract

The Criterion A problem in the field of traumatic stress refers to the stressor criterion for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and involves a number of fundamental issues regarding the definition and measurement of psychological trauma. These issues first emerged with the introduction of PTSD as a diagnostic category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980) and continue to generate considerable controversy. In this article, the authors provide an update on the Criterion A problem, with particular emphasis on the evolution of the DSM definition of the stressor criterion and the ongoing debate regarding broad versus narrow conceptualizations of traumatic events.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders*
Humans
Life Change Events*
Psychological Tests
Reproducibility of Results
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology
Stress Disorders, Traumatic / diagnosis*
Stress Disorders, Traumatic / psychology
Terminology as Topic