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MMPI profiles of malingerers diagnosed in pretrial forensic evaluations

G L Hawk1, D G Cornell

  • 1Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services Commonwealth of Virginia.

Journal of Clinical Psychology
|July 1, 1989
PubMed

Insights

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) shows promise in detecting malingering among criminal defendants. When subjects cooperate, specific MMPI scales and the F-K index help differentiate genuine symptoms from feigned ones.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychometric Assessment

Background:

  • The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) has indices for symptom exaggeration, but research with actual malingering subjects is limited.
  • Forensic evaluations often involve assessing the credibility of defendants' self-reported symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the utility of the MMPI in detecting malingering in criminal defendants.
  • To compare MMPI profiles of malingering, psychotic, and nonpsychotic individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Assembled samples of malingering (n=18), psychotic (n=17), and nonpsychotic (n=36) criminal defendants based on interview behavior during pretrial evaluations.
  • Administered the MMPI and analyzed profiles, noting untestable or invalid results.
  • Utilized discriminant analysis to classify groups based on MMPI variables.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 50% of malingering and psychotic subjects produced untestable or invalid MMPIs.
  • Significant differences were found between malingerers and other groups on several MMPI scales and the F-K index.
  • Discriminant analysis accurately classified malingerers and psychotics using MMPI data.

Conclusions:

  • The MMPI can be a valuable tool for detecting malingering in forensic settings.
  • Cooperation with MMPI testing is crucial for its effectiveness in identifying feigned symptomatology.

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