Discriminating malingered from genuine civilian posttraumatic stress disorder: a validation of three MMPI-2 Infrequency scales (F, Fp, and Fptsd).
The Infrequency-Posttraumatic Stress Disorder scale (Fptsd), recently created for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), has demonstrated incremental validity over other MMPI-2 scales in malingered posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) detection. Fptsd was developed with combat-exposed PTSD patients, potentially limiting its use with PTSD patients in general. The current study evaluated the MMPI-2's F, Infrequency-Psychopathology scale (Fp), and Fptsd scales in discriminating genuine civilian PTSD among 41 adult victims of child sexual abuse from a group of 39 students instructed to simulate PTSD. Analyses demonstrated Fptsd's incremental validity over F but not over Fp. Based on the two studies examining Fptsd, Fptsd may be more appropriate for combat trauma victims, and Fp may be more appropriate for civilian trauma victims.
Elhai
Jon D
JD
Disaster Mental Health Institute, University of South Dakota, Vermillion 57069-2390, USA. jonelhai@hotmail.com
Naifeh
James A
JA
Zucker
Irene S
IS
Gold
Steven N
SN
Deitsch
Sarah E
SE
Frueh
B Christopher
BC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D008192:Deception; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012650:Self Disclosure; D015144:Southeastern United States; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy