The ADHD Symptom Infrequency Scale (ASIS): A novel measure designed to detect adult ADHD simulators

Psychological Assessment
Seth C CourrégéKaley S Boress

Abstract

The current project outlines the development of the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptom Infrequency Scale (ASIS), a stand-alone measure designed to identify individuals feigning or exaggerating symptoms to receive a diagnosis of ADHD. Over the course of 3 studies, valid data was collected from 402 participants assigned to control, simulator, ADHD diagnosed, or possible undiagnosed ADHD groups. Group assignment was based on self-reported history of ADHD diagnosis including information about the credentials of diagnosing professional and methods used. The ASIS includes an Infrequency Scale (INF) designed to detect rarely reported symptoms of ADHD and several clinical scales designed to measure genuine symptoms. The final version of the ASIS demonstrated high internal consistency for the INF (α = .96) and the ADHD Total scales (α= .96). Convergent validity for the ADHD Total was established through a strong correlation with Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale-IV (r = .92). Initial validation of the INF yielded high discriminability between groups (d = 2.76; 95% confidence interval [2.17, 3.36]). The final INF scale demonstrated strong sensitivity (.79-.86) and excellent specificity (.89). Using our study's malinger...Continue Reading

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