title: Utility of the MMPI-2-RF in detecting non-credible somatic complaints.
abstract: We examined the utility of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) validity scales (infrequent responses (F-r), infrequent psychopathology responses (Fp-r), infrequent somatic responses (Fs), symptom validity (FBS-r), and response bias (RBS)) in differentiating individuals who were asked to feign physical health problems from a group of somatoform disorder patients and genuine medical patients with no history of mental health problems. A large group of undergraduate students were instructed to feign physical health problems as if they were participating in a disability evaluation for a work-related injury. Comparison groups were drawn from archival databases and consisted of non-litigating medical patients or individuals carefully diagnosed with somatoform disorder. The Fs and Fp-r scales were associated with the best differentiation between the three groups; the Fs scale was the most sensitive to somatic malingering, whereas the Fp-r scale was the most specific. Both scales were associated with high likelihood ratios in differentiating the somatic malingering group from the somatoform and medical illness groups. Although the FBS-r scale was overall the most sensitive in differentiating non-credible somatic complaints from genuine medical illness, it could not differentiate well between the somatic malingering and somatoform patient conditions. The MMPI-2-RF appears to have considerable promise in detecting individuals who feign physical health problems. Not surprisingly, differentiating somatic malingering from somatoform disorder with the MMPI-2-RF was less accurate than differentiating somatic malingering from bona-fide medical patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA. msellbom@ua.edu
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sellbom
authors.forename: Dustin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wygant
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagby
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*