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The SIMS Screen for Feigned Mental Disorders: the Development of Detection‐based Scales
Author(s) -
Rogers Richard,
Robinson Emily V.,
Gillard Nathan D.
Publication year - 2014
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/bsl.2131
Subject(s) - malingering , psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , lie detection , scale (ratio) , medicine , social psychology , deception , physics , quantum mechanics
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.