Premium
A pilot study of the personality assessment inventory (PAI) in corrections: assessment of malingering, suicide risk, and aggression in male inmates
Author(s) -
Wang Eugene W.,
Rogers Richard,
Giles Charles L.,
Diamond Pamela M.,
HerringtonWang Lue E.,
Taylor E. Ross
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-0798(199723/09)15:4<469::aid-bsl279>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - aggression , malingering , clinical psychology , psychology , psychological intervention , poison control , psychiatry , personality , suicide prevention , personality assessment inventory , injury prevention , human factors and ergonomics , personality disorders , medicine , medical emergency , social psychology
Provision of mental health services to correctional populations places considerable demands on clinical staff to provide efficient and effective means to screen patients for severe mental disorders and other emergent conditions that necessitate immediate interventions. Among the highly problematic behaviors found in correctional settings are forms of acting out (e.g., suicide and aggression towards others) and response style (e.g., motivations to malinger). The current study examined the usefulness of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) in assessing problematic behaviors in a corrections‐based psychiatric hospital. As evidence of criterion related validity, selected PAI scales were compared to (a) evidence of malingering on the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS), (b) suicidal threats and gestures, and (c) ratings of aggression on the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS). In general, results supported the use of the PAI for the assessment of these problematic behaviors. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.