The Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5) is a self-report measure that can assist in identifying lifetime exposure to traumatic stressors. The LEC-5 was designed to be administered in concert with the CAPS-5. The LEC-5 assesses exposure to 16 events known to potentially result in PTSD and includes one additional item assessing any other extraordinarily stressful event that the client may have experienced.
| LEC-5 Events | ||
|---|---|---|
| Natural disaster (for example, flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake) | Fire or explosion | Transportation accidents |
| Serious accident at work, home, or during recreational activity | Exposure to toxic substance | Physical assault |
| Assault with a weapon | Sexual assault | Other unwanted or uncomfortable sexual experiences |
| Combat or exposure to a war-zone | Captivity | Life-threatening illness or injury |
| Severe human suffering | Sudden violent death | Sudden accidental death |
| Serious injury, harm, or death you caused to someone else | Another very stressful event or experience | |
For each item on the LEC-5, the respondent checks one or more of the following response choices:
- Happened to me
- Witnessed it
- Learned about it
- Part of my job
- Not sure
- Doesn't apply
The expectation is that the person completes the LEC (or some other trauma screen), which is designed to gather information about ALL the potentially traumatic events that may have happened to the person, so that you can identify the “worst” event from that list to make the focus of the CAPS.