Initial Validation of Short Forms of the SIMS for Neuropsychological Evaluations
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Initial Validation of Short Forms of the SIMS for Neuropsychological Evaluations Robert J. Spencer 1,2
&
Brian D. Gradwohl 1,2 & Victoria M. Kordovski 1
Received: 12 May 2020 / Accepted: 22 October 2020 # This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply 2020
Abstract The Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) is a measure of impression management that covers a range of symptomatology through 75 items and five scales, some of which are particularly relevant for cognitive evaluations. The aims of the current projects were to (1) reduce the length of the SIMS to the items most predictive of symptom validity on the Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory-2-RF, (2) explore the factor structure of the remaining items, and (3) test the degree to which the final scale identifies individuals with inadequate performance validity. The sample consisted of 249 veterans referred for outpatient neuropsychological assessment and completed the SIMS, most of whom also completed the MMPI-2-RF and measures of performance validity. Results identified items from the Neurological Injury (11 items) and Amnestic Disorders scales (8 items) that were most strongly related to its theoretically consistent MMPI-2-RF scales and that two distinct factors corresponding to the original scales were identified on factor analysis. The revised subscales correlated at r = 0.55, and each scale had acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.76–0.84), and the Amnestic and Total Revised SIMS were adequately able to identify individuals failing measures of performance validity. The reliability and validity of the SIMS for Neuropsychological Settings (SIMS-NS) and its Amnestic subscale, despite its brevity, were practically psychometrically equivalent to the original SIMS and one prior short form of the test. Keywords Malingering . Performance validity . Symptom validity . Assessment . Structured inventory of malingered symptomatology
As a collaborative enterprise between examiner and examinee, the utility of clinical neuropsychological assessments depends largely on obtaining functionally relevant data through observing performances on standardized tests and interpreting self-report instruments. In clinical contexts, patients often complete structured checklists requiring self-reflection on aspects of symptom burden, emotional status, and functional capacity (Rabin, Paolillo, & Barr, 2016). These self-report instruments can provide valuable data regarding symptoms that may not be apparent during structured, performancebased assessments. Furthermore, because examinees are completing these measures with reference to their everyday lives,
* Robert J. Spencer [email protected] 1
Mental Health Service, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, 2215 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
2
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
scores may reflect overall changes in symptomatology and its impact on daily living in an ecologically relevant m
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