Identifying Feigned ADHD in College Students: Comparing the Multidimensional ADHD Rating Scale to Established...

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Malingering in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) evaluations is a growing concern due to potential incentives like accommodations and medications.
• Existing validity tests are insufficient for detecting feigned ADHD, necessitating the development of reliable assessment tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the MARS Symptom Validity Index 4 (MARS SV-index 4) in detecting malingered ADHD.
• To compare the performance of MARS SV-index 4 against two established validity tests: the Word Memory Test (WMT) and the Clinical Assessment of Attention Deficit-Adult (CAT-A) Infrequency scale.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-eight young adults participated, with 34 diagnosed with ADHD.
• Participants completed the MARS, CAT-A, and WMT validity measures to assess their performance on simulated malingering tasks.

Main Results:

• The MARS SV-index 4 achieved a sensitivity of 61.8% with a specificity of 88.2% for detecting simulated malingering.
• In comparison, the WMT and CAT-A exhibited lower sensitivity rates (below 42%) while maintaining high specificity (above 90%).

Conclusions:

• The MARS demonstrates a strong capability in identifying feigned ADHD presentations.
• The MARS SV-index 4 is a promising and potentially valuable tool for adult ADHD assessments, particularly in differentiating genuine symptoms from malingering.