A Study of The Self-Report Symptom Inventory as a Tool for Detecting Feigned ADHD

Hakalin, Miia (2022) A Study of The Self-Report Symptom Inventory as a Tool for Detecting Feigned ADHD. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Feigning Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms and misusing the diagnosis for personal advantage is a phenomenon, which can potentially harm the individual and create an unnecessary cost for societies. Therefore, it is important to research effective measures for detecting it. This study aims to do this by applying the Self-Report Symptom Inventory. The SRSI is a symptom validity test for detecting feigning of soft psychopathology by mixing genuine symptoms with pseudosymptoms, where the rate of pseudosymptom endorsement is indicative of potential feigning. The SRSI is less recognisable as a measure of feigning, which potentially makes it more effective. This study utilized a simulation design with instructed feigners (n=43), clinical participants (ADHD diagnosis) (n=25) and controls (n=55). The feigning group was provided with information about ADHD and asked to answer questionnaires as if they had ADHD. The present study investigated whether the SRSI performs better than the Conners’ Adult Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Rating Scale (CAARS) subscales ACI, CII and INC. In addition, to detect whether there was a connection between overreporting symptoms and underperforming, the relationship between the SRSI and the Reliable Digit Span was investigated. The SRSI generated a larger effect size between patients and feigners (d=1.21), and better levels of sensitivity (72.1%) and specificity (64%) than the CAARS subscales. The RDS scores were negatively correlated (r=-.65) with the SRSI pseudosymptom scores indicating a connection between symptom exaggeration and underperforming in ADHD feigning. These preliminary results show that the SRSI can be applied as a tool to detect ADHD feigning successfully. Keywords: ADHD, feigning, Self-Report Symptom Inventory, symptom validity, simulation

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Fuermaier, A.B.M.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	None [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	21 Jun 2022 07:06
Last Modified:	21 Jun 2022 07:06
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/561

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