NCJ Number
234439
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 56 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2011 Pages: 444-449
Date Published
March 2011
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether the PICTS Cf-r and INF scales can sserve as effective screening measures for malingered and exaggerated psychiatric symptomatology in a group of Federal prison inmates.
Abstract
A sample of 76 Federal prison inmates with a history or current complaints of significant psychiatric symptomatology at intake were followed for a period of 4-39 months by a psychologist who rated the inmate as malingering (n=12), substantially exaggerating (n=32), minimally exaggerating (n=23), or honestly reporting (n=9) signs and symptoms of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, or severe anxiety disorder. The Confusion-revised (Cf-r) and Infrequency (INF) scales of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles, which had been administered routinely at intake, revealed that only the INF successfully predicted malingering and exaggeration of psychiatric symptomatology even after pre-existing group differences in age, race, and overall criminal thinking were controlled. These results suggest that the INF scale can potentially serve as an effective initial screening measure for malingering/exaggeration in inmates presenting with mental health complaints. (Published Abstract)