title: Screening for malingering in a correctional setting.
abstract: This study outlines the development of the Screening SIRS, an abbreviated version of the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS), for use as a screening measure of malingering in a correctional setting. Seventy-five inmates complaining of psychological impairment were tested for malingering. A subset of the participants was given both the original SIRS and the Screening SIRS as a separate test with the test order counterbalanced; the remainder were given the original SIRS and a derived classification was determined by extracting the Screening SIRS scale scores. Using Receiver Operating Characteristic analyses, classification based on the Screening SIRS was significantly better than chance. With a sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 73%, the Screening SIRS was highly predictive of classifications based on the original SIRS. These findings have instrumental implications in correctional settings where identification of possible malingerers through a screening procedure may facilitate optimal allocation of resources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843, USA.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: May
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011330:Prisons; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity