Lange RT, Sullivan KA, Scott C. Comparison of MMPI-2 and PAI validity indicators to detect feigned depression and PTSD symptom reporting.
Psychiatry Res 2010;
176:229-35. [PMID:
20207423 DOI:
10.1016/j.psychres.2009.03.004]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2008] [Revised: 02/24/2009] [Accepted: 03/04/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical utility of PAI and MMPI-2 validity indicators to detect exaggeration of psychological symptoms. Participants were 49 (75.5% female) Australian university students who completed the MMPI-2 and PAI under one of three conditions: Control [i.e., honest responding (n=20)], Feign Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD (n=15)], or Feign Depression (n=14). Participants instructed to feign depression or feign PTSD had significantly higher scores on the majority of MMPI-2 and PAI validity indicators compared with controls. The Meyers Validity Index, the Obvious-Subtle index, and the Response Bias Scale were the most accurate MMPI-2 validity indicators. Diagnostic-specific MMPI-2 validity indicators, such as the Infrequency-PSTD scales and Malingered Depression scale, were not effective at detecting participants instructed to feign those conditions. For the PAI, the most accurate validity indicator was the MAL index; however, the detection rate using this validity indicator was modest at best. The MMPI-2 validity indicators were clearly superior to those on the PAI at identifying feigned versus honest responding in this sample.
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