Base Rate of a WMS-R Malingering Index in a Sample of Non-Compensation-Seeking Men Infected With HIV-1

Abstract

HIV-1 infected persons who are pursuing disability benefits are increasingly seeking neuropsychological assessment for purposes of corroborating functional impairment. Thus, research on the utility of measures of symptom validity among these patients is needed. Recently, Mittenberg, Azrin, Millsaps, and Heilbronner (1993) proposed a malingering index score for the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised that is derived by subtracting the Attention/Concentration Index (ACI) score from the General Memory Index Score (GMI). This study is a cross-validation of the specificity of the GMI-ACI Malingering Index in a sample of 55 non-compensation-seeking HIV-positive (HIV+) patients. An overall false-positive rate of 7% was observed for the GMI-ACI Malingering Index. However, further analyses showed that GMI-ACI Malingering Index scores were correlated with GMI scores such that false-positive errors were substantially higher (18%) among patients who obtained above-average GMI scores. These findings suggest a cautious approach to application of the GMI-ACI Malingering Index, particularly among patients who obtain above-average GMI scores.