Use of the SIRS in compensation cases: An examination of its validity and generalizability.

Abstract

The Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS; Rogers et al., Structured interview of reported symptoms (SIRS) and professional manual, 1992) is a well-validated psychological measure for the assessment of feigned mental disorders (FMD) in clinical, forensic, and correctional settings. Comparatively little work has evaluated its usefulness in compensation and disability contexts. The present study examined SIRS data from 569 individuals undergoing forensic neuropsychiatric examinations for the purposes of workers' compensation, personal injury, or disability proceedings. Using bootstrapping comparisons, three primary groups were identified: FMD, feigned cognitive impairment (FCI), genuine-both (GEN-Both) that encompasses both genuine disorders (GEN-D) and genuine-cognitive presentation (GEN-C). Consistent with the SIRS main objective, very large effect sizes (M Cohen's d = 1.94) were observed between FMD and GEN-Both groups. Although not intended for this purpose, moderate to large effect sizes (M d = 1.13) were found between FCI and GEN-Both groups. An important consideration is whether SIRS results are unduly affected by common diagnoses or clinical conditions. Systematic comparisons were performed based on common disorders (major depressive disorder, PTSD, and other anxiety disorders), presence of a cognitive disorder (dementia, amnestic disorder, or cognitive disorder NOS), or intellectual deficits (FSIQ < 80). Generally, the magnitude of differences on the SIRS primary scales was small and nonsignificant, providing evidence of the SIRS generalizability across these diagnostic categories. Finally, the usefulness of the SIRS improbable failure-revised (IF-R) scale was tested as a FCI screen. Although it has potential in ruling out genuine cases, the IF-R should not be used as a feigning screen.

A Practical Guide to Conducting VA Compensation and Pension Exams for PTSD and Other Mental Disorders

“…Psychological tests such as the MMPI-2 and the SIRS have proven to possess highly accurate classification rates (Tolin et al, 2010;Rogers et al 2009a), whereas an individual clinician's classification accuracy has almost never been subject to scientific study. Additionally, we know that in general actuarial judgment outperforms clinical judgment (Dawes, Faust, & Meehl, 1989).…”

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Controversies, Diagnosis, and Malingering

“…The SIRS is a structured interview to detect malingering and related problematic response styles in psychiatric/ psychological evaluations. Rogers et al ( 2009 ) have reported results supporting its use in compensation and disability settings. Morel ( 2010 ) did not cite research on its use for malingered PTSD.…”

“…The ATR of the TSI should be used cautiously . For the SIRS, according to Rogers et al ( 2009 ), it does not detect very well PTSD symptom over-reporting, although research is ongoing. The MENT appears to be a useful adjunct for malingering detection.…”

“…However, Rubenzer reported that they had calculated the total SIRS score incorrectly. In Rogers et al ( 2009 ), some of the results seemed applicable to PTSD. Rubenzer supported use of the SIRS in PTSD determinations, using its standard criteria for decision rules, because none are yet available for PTSD.…”

“…He included the WMT because, although memory or cognitive complaints are not a crucial part of PTSD symptoms, even when there are no cognitive complaints, everything else being equal, failure on an SVT with high specifi city "strongly suggests" that the evaluee did not perform to the best ability possible. Also, research has shown a correlation between various self-report scales and SVT performance, including the SIRS (Rogers et al 2009 ). Torres et al ( 2012 ) surveyed tests used to assess PTSD.…”