The SIMS Screen for Feigned Mental Disorders: the Development of Detection‐based Scales |
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| Authors: | Richard Rogers Ph.D. Emily V. Robinson M.S. Nathan D. Gillard Ph.D. |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Doctoral student, Clinical Psychology Program, University of North Texas, TX;2. Staff psychologist, Federal Transfer Center, Bureau of Prisons, Oklahoma City, OK |
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| Abstract: | Time‐efficient screens for feigned mental disorders (FMDs) constitute important tools in forensic assessments. The Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) is a 75‐item true–false questionnaire that has been extensively studied as an FMD screen. However, the SIMS scales are not based on established detection strategies, and only its total score is utilized as a feigning screen. This investigation develops two new feigning scales based on well‐established detection‐strategies: rare symptoms (RS) and symptom combinations (SC). They are studied in a between‐subjects simulation design using inpatients with partial‐malingering (i.e., patients with genuine disorders asked to feign greater disabilities) conditions. Subject to future cross‐validation, the SC scale evidenced the highest effect size (d = 2.01) and appeared the most effective at ruling out examinees, who have a high likelihood of genuine responding. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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