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A New Index for the MMPI‐2 Test for Detecting Dissimulation in Forensic Evaluations: A Pilot Study
Author(s) -
Martino Vito,
Grattagliano Ignazio,
Bosco Andrea,
Massaro Ylenia,
Lisi Andrea,
Campobasso Filippo,
Marchitelli Maria Alessia,
Catanesi Roberto
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12889
Subject(s) - minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , malingering , forensic science , forensic psychiatry , psychology , nonparametric statistics , clinical psychology , statistics , medicine , psychiatry , mathematics , social psychology , personality , veterinary medicine
This pilot study is the starting point of a potentially broad research project aimed at identifying new strategies for assessing malingering during forensic evaluations. The forensic group was comprised of 67 males who were seeking some sort of certification (e.g., adoption, child custody, driver's license, issuance of gun permits, etc.); the nonforensic group was comprised of 62 healthy male volunteers. Each participant was administered the MMPI ‐2. Statistical analyses were conducted on obtained scores of 48 MMPI ‐2 scales. In the first step, parametric statistics were adopted to identify the best combination of MMPI ‐2 scales that differentiated the two groups of participants. In the second step, frequency‐based, nonparametric methods were used for diagnostic purposes. Results : A model that utilized the best three predictors (“7‐Pt”, “L,” and “1‐Hs”) was developed and used to calculate the Forensic Evaluation Dissimulation Index ( FEDI ), which features satisfactory diagnostic accuracy (0.9), sensitivity (0.82), specificity (0.81), and likelihood ratio indices ( LR + = 4.32; LR − = 0.22).