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Use of Validity Indicators on the Personality Assessment Inventory to Detect Feigning of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

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Abstract

This study examined the ability of several Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) validity indicators to detect feigning of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants included 491 individuals recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTURK): 44 participants were asked to feign PTSD, 25 participants carried a diagnosis of PTSD and demonstrated at least moderate levels of current symptom, and 422 served as control subjects. Results indicated that all of the PAI negative distortion validity indicators significantly distinguished the true PTSD from the feigned PTSD group. The indicators with the largest effect sizes were the Hong Malingering Function and the Multiscale Feigning Index, both of which demonstrated moderate sensitivity to feigned PTSD with specificity above 90%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4235, USA

    Duncan N. Russell & Leslie C. Morey

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  1. Duncan N. Russell
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  2. Leslie C. Morey
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Correspondence to Leslie C. Morey.

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Leslie Morey is the author of the Personality Assessment Inventory and receives royalties from its sale. Duncan Russell declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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Russell, D.N., Morey, L.C. Use of Validity Indicators on the Personality Assessment Inventory to Detect Feigning of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Psychol. Inj. and Law 12, 204–211 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-019-09349-7

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