title: The utility and comparative incremental validity of the MMPI-2 and Trauma Symptom Inventory validity scales in the detection of feigned PTSD.
abstract: The authors examined the comparative predictive capacity of the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) Atypical Response Scale (ATR) and the standard set of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) fake-bad validity scales (i.e., F, F-sub(B), F-sub(p), FBS) to detect feigned posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Remitted trauma victims (n = 60) completed the TSI and MMPI-2 under standard (honest) instructions and then were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental conditions (noncoached/validity scale coached) in which they were administered these instruments again with instruction to fake PTSD. These test protocols were compared with TSI and MMPI-2 results from workplace injury claimants with PTSD (n = 84). The ATR and FBS were able to distinguish only the noncoached participants instructed to fake from the PTSD claimants; in contrast, the F, F-sub(B), and F-sub(p) scales were able to distinguish both the noncoached and the validity-scale-coached participants from the PTSD claimants. F, F-sub(B), and F-sub(p) always outperformed the ATR and FBS; neither the ATR nor the FBS was able to add incremental predictive variance to that of F, F-sub(B), or F-sub(p).
authors.affiliation: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Adele A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Efendov
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sellbom
authors.forename: R Michael
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bagby
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*