Life Events Checklist for DSM-5
LEC-5
General
The LEC-5 consists of 17 items, in which 16 items are events that potentially lead to PTSD. An additional open-ended item asks for an event that is not on the list but still causes extraordinary distress to the individual. For each potentially traumatic event, it is recorded whether it happened to the person personally, he or she witnessed it, learned about it, or was confronted with it in the context of his or her job. Multiple response options may be selected. A sum value or partial sum values cannot be calculated. Only information about what events the individual has been exposed to can be taken. The LEC-5 is usually used with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder instruments, such as the PCL-5.
Operation Area
The LEC-5 is a self-assessment instrument designed to capture potentially traumatic events over an individual's lifetime.
The instrument is made available at the following website:
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/assessment/te-measures/life_events_checklist.asp
Literature
Weathers, F. W., Blake, D. D., Schnurr, P. P., Kaloupek, D. G., Marx, B. P., & Keane, T. M. (2013). The life events checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5). Instrument available from the National Center for PTSD at www.ptsd.va.gov.