Screening and Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Objectives

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) often remains underdiagnosed. This review updates Daveney et al.’s (2019) review of studies on screening and assessment instruments for PTSD in these individuals.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews.

Results

This review covers eight studies in which a total of five PTSD instruments are investigated. Three studies focused on individuals with mild ID and/or BIF (Impact of Event Scale-Intellectual Disabilities and Diagnostic Interview Trauma and Stressors-Intellectual Disability), two on mild to moderate ID (Lancaster and Northgate Trauma Scales), and two on severe to moderate ID (Diagnostic Interview Trauma and Stressors—Severe Intellectual Disability). One study did not specify the severity of ID (International Trauma Questionnaire-Intellectual Disabilities). Most instruments focus primarily on identifying PTSD symptoms, while some also integrate the assessment of traumatic and/or stressful events.

Conclusions

There is growing attention on PTSD assessment in individuals with ID or BIF. While most PTSD instruments have been developed for adults with mild to moderate ID or BIF, further research is needed to validate PTSD instruments in these populations. Additionally, research is needed on PTSD assessment in individuals with more severe levels of ID and in children with ID. Cross-cultural validation studies and larger sample sizes are required. Development of guidelines for PTSD screening and assessment in individuals with ID or BIF is recommended.