Development and Initial Validation of the Malingered ADHD Scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory

• Published in: Archives of clinical neuropsychology Vol. 28; no. 6; p. 157
• Main Authors: Musso, M, Hill, B, Barker, A, Pella, R, Gouvier, W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-01-2013
• ISSN: 0887-6177

Objective: To develop an embedded validity index for the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) to detect feigned ADHD in a college population. Method: One hundred and ninety-three participants simulating ADHD completed the PAI. Descriptive values (mean + or - SD): age (19.8 + or - 1.5) and education (13.1 + or - 1.1), 80% were Caucasian, and 26% were male. Archival data from psychoeducational evaluations including the PAI were categorized based on diagnosis: Clinical ADHD (n = 122), No diagnosis (n = 94), and ADHD with comorbid psychopathology (n = 70). Descriptive values (mean + or - SD): Age (22.6 + or - 5.6) and education (13.92 + or - 1.8), 79% were Caucasian, and 54% were male. Results: PAI scores from a subset of ADHD Simulators (n = 86) were compared with a subset from the Clinical ADHD (n = 87) group. Logistic regression identified 12 items as significant predictors of the simulator group. The 12 items were summed into a new scale. The remainder of the sample was used to investigate potential cutoff scores. Ultimately, a cutoff score >12 yielded sensitivity of 0.49 for ADHD simulators and specificity of 1.0 for the Clinical ADHD group, 0.99 for No Diagnosis groups, and 0.91 for ADHD with comorbid psychopathology. Conclusion: A cutoff score of >12 on this scale demonstrated excellent specificity and acceptable sensitivity for detecting malingered ADHD in college students.