title: New and improved? A comparison of the original and revised versions of the structured interview of reported symptoms.
abstract: The current study evaluated the accuracy of the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms, Second Edition (SIRS-2) in a criterion-group study using a sample of forensic psychiatric patients and a community simulation sample, comparing it to the original SIRS and to results published in the SIRS-2 manual. The SIRS-2 yielded an impressive specificity rate (94.3%) that exceeded that obtained using the original SIRS scoring method (92.0%) and approached that observed in the SIRS-2 normative data (97.5%). However, changes in scoring resulted in markedly lower sensitivity rates of the SIRS-2 (36.8% among forensic patients and 66.7% among simulators) compared with the SIRS (47.4% and 75.0%, respectively). The removal of the Total Score from the SIRS-2 further hindered identification of feigning. Analyses also evaluated the additive value of the new RS-Total and MT Index scales in the SIRS-2. Implications of these results for forensic psychologists are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ 07666, USA. degreen@fdu.edu
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Belfi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D008192:Deception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D016743:Mental Competency; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012637:Security Measures; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult