Screening for Malingered Psychopathology in a Correctional Setting

Abstract

Evidence of construct validity and generalizability for a new measure developed to screen for malingered psychopathology, the Miller-Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST), is presented for a sample of incarcerated males ( N = 50) who had applied for mental health services in a maximum-security prison. Participants completed a brief diagnostic interview, the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS), and the M-FAST. SIRS-defined malingerers scored significantly higher on the M-FAST total and scale scores. Receiver operating characteristic analysis yielded an area under the curve of .92 ( SEM = .04, p= .01). Consistent with previous M-FAST validity research, utility results indicated accurate classification was best achieved with an M-FAST total cutoff score of 6 (positive predictive power = .78, negative predictive power =.89). Utility analyses across race produced almost identical results indicating preliminary generalizability of the M-FAST for African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian inmates.