Wai-Cheong Carl Tam

East Asian Arch Psychiatry 2019;29:112-7 | https://doi.org/10.12809/eaap1821 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Early Maladaptive Schemas, Depression Severity, and Risk...

Assessing feigning psychosis is extremely important in forensic psychological assessment. This pilot study investigated the utility of three multiscale personality inventories, namely, the Chinese Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), the Ko Mental Health Questionnaire (KMHQ), and the Health-Personality-Habit Inventory (HPH), in the detection of feigning psychosis in Taiwan. It was hypothesized that the above three inventories were effective in the detection of feigning psychosis. The sample consisted of 70 participants (students and community members; with 19 men and 51 women), with mean age of 22.01 years (SD = 3.86), who were randomly assigned to two different groups: feigning psychosis and honestly responding. The KMHQ, the HPH, and the Chinese MMPI-2 were administered to each participant in this sequential order. Altogether 16 scales from these inventories were statistically analyzed using MANOVA, t test, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis, and discriminant analysis. Of these 16 scales, the scores of 14 scales differed significantly between the feigning psychosis and honestly responding groups. In addition to the exploration of the best discriminant variables, the effect size, best cutoff score, classification accuracy rate, sensitivity, and specificity of the scales of the above three inventories in discriminating participants between feigning psychosis and honestly responding were presented, respectively. The results of this study supported the utility of the Chinese MMPI-2, the KMHQ, and the HPH in the detection of feigning psychosis.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory‐2 (MMPI‐2) is often used in forensic psychological/psychiatric assessment. This was a pilot study on the utility of the Chinese MMPI‐2 in detecting feigned mental disorders. The sample consisted of 194 university students who were either simulators (informed or uninformed) or controls. All the participants were administered the Chinese MMPI‐2 and the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms‐2 (SIRS‐2). The results of the SIRS‐2 were utilized to classify the participants into the feigning or control groups. The effectiveness of eight detection indices was investigated by using item analysis, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results indicated that informed‐simulating participants with prior knowledge of mental disorders did not perform better in avoiding feigning detection than uninformed‐simulating participants. In addition, the eight detection indices of the Chinese MMPI‐2 were effective in discriminating participants in the feigning and control groups, and the best cut‐off scores of three of the indices were higher than those obtained from the studies using the English MMPI‐2. Thus, in this sample of university students, the utility of the Chinese MMPI‐2 in detecting feigned mental disorders was tentatively supported, and the Chinese Infrequency Scale (ICH), a scale developed specifically for the Chinese MMPI‐2, was also supported as a valid scale for validity checking.

This study investigated the cultural and linguistic adaptability of the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS), a new Rorschach administration, scoring, and interpretation system that minimizes psychometric weaknesses of the Comprehensive System (CS). This investigation addressed the validity of R-PAS measures of psychotic characteristics and psychopathology severity in Taiwan, including the incremental validity of the R-PAS relative to the CS variables measuring the same constructs. Ninety Taiwanese individuals (75 psychiatric patients and 15 nonpatients) were tested with standard R-PAS administration and scoring. Two non-Rorschach severity of disturbance measures and 2 psychosis measures served as independent criterion measures. The R-PAS measures were found to be valid in Taiwan in assessing psychotic symptoms and psychopathology severity, thus demonstrating cultural and linguistic adaptability. Moreover, hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated incremental validity for the R-PAS variables over their CS counterparts, providing support that the R-PAS revisions enhance the test psychometrically. These research findings also demonstrate the viability of the R-PAS as a Rorschach system that can be effectively employed outside the U.S. in a different language and culture.

We examined the association among anxiety, religiosity, meaning of life and mental health in a nonclinical sample from a Chinese society. Four hundred fifty-one Taiwanese adults (150 males and 300 females) ranging in age from 17 to 73 years (M = 28.9, SD = 11.53) completed measures of Beck Anxiety Inventory, Medical Outcomes Study Health Survey, Perceived Stress Scale, Social Support Scale, and Personal Religiosity Scale (measuring religiosity and meaning of life). Meaning of life has a significant negative correlation with anxiety and a significant positive correlation with mental health and religiosity; however, religiosity does not correlate significantly anxiety and mental health after controlling for demographic measures, social support and physical health. Anxiety explains unique variance in mental health above meaning of life. Meaning of life was found to partially mediate the relationship between anxiety and mental health. These findings suggest that benefits of meaning of life for mental health can be at least partially accounted for by the effects of underlying anxiety.

Background: Malingering detection has emerged as an important issue in clinical and forensic settings. The Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms-2 (SIRS-2) was designed to assess the feigned symptoms in both clinical and non-clinical subjects. The aim of the study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of this scale. Methods: Two studies were conducted to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese Version of SIRS-2. In Study one, with a simulation design, the subjects included a. 40 students asked to simulate symptoms of mental illness; b. 40 general psychiatric inpatients and c. 40 students asked to reply to questions honestly. Scales scores for feigning symptoms among three groups were carried out for discriminant validity of the Chinese Version of SIRS-2. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2(MMPI-2) was administered in 80 undergraduate students. In Study two, with a known-groups comparison design, scales scores for feigning symptoms were compared between 20 suspected malingerers and 80 psychiatric outpatients from two forensic centers using the Chinese Version of SIRS-2. Results: The Chinese Version of SIRS-2 demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency in both study one and two. In study one, criterion validity of this scale was supported by its significantly positive correlation with the MMPI-2 (r = 0.282 ~ 0.481 for Infrequency), and by its significantly negative correlation with the MMPI-2 (r = -0.255 ~ -0.519 for Lie and -0.205 ~ 0.391 for Correction). Scores of 10 out of 13 subscales of the Chinese Version of SIRS-2 for simulators were significantly higher than scores of honest students and general psychiatric patients. In study two, the mean scores of the Chinese Version of 13 subscales for suspected malingerers were significantly higher than those of psychiatric outpatients. For discriminant validity, it yielded a large effect size (d = 1.80) for the comparison of the participant groups in study one and two. Moreover, the sensitivity (proportion of malingerers accurately identified by the measure) and specificity (proportion of people accurately classified as responding honestly) of the Chinese version of SIRS-2 in the detection of malingering in these two studies are acceptable. Conclusions: The Chinese version of the SIRS-2 has good psychometric properties and is a valid and reliable tool for detection of malingering in Chinese populations.

These three studies are among the first to systematically compare five Chinese religious groups on intrinsic (spiritual) and extrinsic (instrumental and paranormal) orientation. In Study 1, a Chinese version of the Index of Core Spiritual Experiences was developed. In Studies 2 and 3, spirituality and religious involvement was found to be greatest among Christians, followed in order by Buddhists, Taoists, traditional nones, and other nones. An instrumental purpose for religious activities and paranormal belief was found to be highest among Taoists, followed in order by Buddhists, traditional nones, other nones, and Christians. The results are consistent with the conclusion that Christianity offers the least support for an extrinsic religious orientation and the most support for an intrinsic religious orientation.

Along with ongoing research on the WAIS-R, short forms of the WAIS-III have attracted much attention. However, few studies of WAIS-III short forms are based on normal samples or on the validation of estimated indexes. This study examined the utility of two seven-subtest short forms in 81 healthy young adults in Taiwan with the administration of the WAIS-III (Chinese version). Participants were recruited from three high schools and one university. Comparison of both the IQs and indexes from full administration and short forms was investigated extensively by using six different criteria. Results supported the utility of the seven-subtest short form, which includes Information, Arithmetic, Similarity, Digit Span, Picture Completion, Matrix Reasoning, and Digit Symbol. This short form can be used to estimate Full Scale IQ Verbal IQ Performance IQ Verbal Comprehension Index, and Working Memory Index in young adults. Thus the study was a cross-validation of the seven-subtest short form used in clinical settings. In addition, from a cross-cultural perspective, it was also a validation of the seven-subtest short forms of the WAIS-III (Chinese version).