An Investigation of Malingering Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on the Personality Assessment Inventory

Abstract

Utilizing the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991), this study aimed to isolate a pattern of responding that is indicative of an attempt to malinger posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The PAI profiles of 116 male participants were examined. Profiles of a group of 29 alcohol-abusing veterans with a primary Axis I (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnosis of PTSD and a group of 30 alcohol-abusing veterans with no other diagnoses were compared to those of 27 undergraduate men instructed to feign PTSD. Control data were obtained from another group of 30 undergraduates. The student malingerers produced PAI profiles that were significantly different from the veterans with PTSD. Seven scales distinguished the malingerers from the veterans with an actual diagnosis of PTSD. Malingerers tended to overexaggerate pathology, inflating their scores on many clinical scales greater than the mean of the PTSD sample. Malingerers also scored higher on Morey's (1993) 8-item Malingering Index than either group of veterans and the controls. Only 2 scales reliably differentiated alcohol-abusing veterans with PTSD from those without the disorder. The implications of these findings in the diagnosis of PTSD are discussed.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Assessing Response Style and Malingering

“…NIM and MI also performed well in three known group studies, but the RDF was completely ineffective in the one known group study that examined it (see Table 4). Guriel and Fremouw's (2003) review noted only two studies examining malingering PTSD on the PAI (Calhoun et al 2000;Liljequist et al 1998) and concluded that empirical data showed that the PAI's response-style indicators did not equal the discrimination of corresponding MMPI-2 scales. However, in both of these studies, the patient groups were veterans unscreened for possible feigning.…”

Investigating Differences in Truthful and Fabricated Symptoms of Traumatic Stress over Time

“…Liljequist et al (1998) compared PTSD symptomology among genuine PTSD sufferers (i.e., war veterans) and a student control sample that was instructed to malinger. They reported a trend where malingerers scored higher than veterans with PTSD on six different clinical scales assessed: depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, somatic complaints, paranoia, and antisocial features.…”

Framing the Results: Assessment of Response Bias Through Select Self-Report Measures in Psychological Injury Evaluations

“…Nevertheless, in their review of the measure, Sellbom and Bagby (2008) noted strong support for the use of the PAI validity indicators in assessing response bias, based on research employing both known-groups and simulation designs (see Bagby, Nicholson, Bacchiochi, Ryder, & Bury, 2002, Baity, Siefert, Chambers, & Blais, 2007Boccaccini, Murrie, & Duncan, 2006;Edens, Poythress, & Watkins-Clay, 2007;Kucharski, Toomey, Fila, & Duncan, 2007;Liljequist, Kinder, & Shinka, 1998;Morey & Lanier, 1998).…”