Validity of the "Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology" [SIMS] in the Assessment of Healthy Individuals and Patients with Psychiatric Disorders Outside the Forensic Context

Abstract

Assessment of the rate of false-positive results of the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) in healthy controls and authentic patients outside the forensic or rehabilitative context. Beyond the SIMS scores, further variables (PANSS, Hamilton scale, MMSE) were obtained. SIMS scores of healthy individuals were compared with the SIMS scores of the different groups of patients. Additionally, correlations between the SIMS scores and other variables were investigated. Patients with psychotic disorders (n=30) or depressive episodes (n=32) more frequently achieved SIMS scores >16 as compared to healthy controls. In comparison, patients with amnestic disorders (n=15) had inconspicuous SIMS scores. Depressed patients with positive SIMS results were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with another psychiatric disorder and the scores of these patients on the Hamilton scale were correlated with positive results on 2 subscales of the SIMS (NI, AF). If this instrument is to applied in clinical practice in the future, further validation of the SIMS is necessary. The specificity of the SIMS seems to be context-related.