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The detection of feigning using multiple PAI scale elevations: a new index

Michelle V Gaines1, Charles L Giles, Robert D Morgan

  • 1Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79404, USA. michelle.v.gaines@ttuhsc.edu

Assessment
|September 5, 2012
PubMed

Insights

The Multiscale Feigning Index (MFI) effectively identifies feigning on the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), outperforming other indices. This feigning detection tool shows high accuracy in psychiatric inpatient settings.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychometric Assessment

Background:

  • Accurate assessment of feigning is crucial in forensic and clinical settings.
  • Existing measures for detecting feigning on the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) include Malingering (MAL), Negative Impression Management (NIM), and Rogers Discriminant Function (RDF).
  • The Multiscale Feigning Index (MFI) is a proposed feigning index for the PAI.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the utility of the Multiscale Feigning Index (MFI) for detecting feigning in male inmates.
  • To compare the MFI's performance against established PAI feigning indices (NIM, MAL, RDF).

Main Methods:

  • Archival data from 98 male inmates in a psychiatric inpatient unit were analyzed.
  • The Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS) was used as the criterion measure for feigning.
  • Regression and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses were employed to compare the indices.

Main Results:

  • The MFI demonstrated a stronger predictive relationship with SIRS outcomes compared to NIM, MAL, and RDF.
  • NIM, MAL, and RDF did not provide significant incremental validity when MFI was considered.
  • At an MFI cutoff of >76, sensitivity was 68.89% and specificity was 94.34%, indicating favorable diagnostic utility.

Conclusions:

  • The Multiscale Feigning Index (MFI) is a robust and effective measure for identifying feigning on the PAI.
  • The MFI surpasses existing PAI feigning indices in accuracy and clinical utility.
  • The MFI shows promise for use in psychiatric inpatient settings, particularly with forensic populations.
Keywords:
MALMFINIMPAIRDFSIRSfeigning

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