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Psychometric Performance of the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST) in Veteran PTSD Assessment

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Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of a widely used measure of symptom exaggeration, the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST, Miller, 2001), in a sample of 209 (83.7% male) trauma-exposed veterans (57.9% probable current posttraumatic stress disorder; PTSD). M-FAST total scores evidenced acceptable internal consistency, but several subscales showed poor internal consistency. Factor analytic and item-response theory analyses identified seven poorly performing items. Comparisons with other measures of psychopathology and response validity (including subscales from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form) revealed that M-FAST scores were highly correlated with indices of psychopathology while less strongly associated with measures of symptom over-reporting. Empirically and clinically-derived (using a follow-up testing-the-limits procedure) revised M-FAST scores failed to improve the measure’s psychometric performance. Results raise concerns about the validity of the M-FAST for identifying malingering in veterans with PTSD and carry implications for access to care and forensic evaluations in this population.

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  • 02 September 2020

    Correction of mistake in the original version of this paper, ���Psychometric Performance of the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST) in Veteran PTSD Assessment���, specifically, in Table 2, the cell for item 13 under the ���testing the limits��� header should read ���0.0��� and not ���15.8���.

Notes

  1. We are unable to provide more detailed descriptions of the M-FAST items, per the publisher of the M-FAST, due to copyright protections.

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Funding

Funding for this work was supported by an award from the University of Minnesota Press, Test Division, and by a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE 2013A) administered by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Research and Development, both to Erika J. Wolf. The contents of this manuscript do not represent the views of the US Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.

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Wolf, E.J., Ellickson-Larew, S., Guetta, R.E. et al. Psychometric Performance of the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST) in Veteran PTSD Assessment. Psychol. Inj. and Law 13, 284–302 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-020-09373-y

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