1. The Impact of Faking-Good on the MCMI-III: Implications for Family Court Assessments Paul Lenny & Greg Dear Edith Cowan University 2005

2. MCMI-III Background… Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory – Third Edition (MCMI-III; Millon, Davis, & Millon, 1997). Brief psychological test - screening for psychological disorders and syndromes Extensively used in forensic settings (e.g. Family Court assessments)

3. MCMI-III Custody Profile… Common profile defined by elevations on: – Desirability Index – Histrionic Scale – Narcissistic Scale – Compulsive Scale – Low scores on all other scales Elevations usually below clinical range.

5. Possible causes… Subclinical elevations on these scales are associated with normal, healthy, personality characteristics Well-adjusted individuals responding honestly produce subclinical elevations on these scales Characteristics inherent in these disorders might lead to relationship breakdown and litigious behaviour Item-structure of the MCMI-III Artificial elevation due to faking-good – we need to examine this possibility.

6. Current Study… Two samples: 60 parents; 78 Students Randomly assigned: – Honest group: 30 Parents + 33 Students (n=63) – Fake-Good: 30 Parents + 45 Students (n=78) Honest Group: Answer as honestly as possible Fake-Good Group: Imagine you are undergoing a Family Court Assessment and answer test items to look like a very good parent

7. Hypotheses and Analysis… Desirability, Histrionic, Narcissistic & Compulsive scales significantly higher in fake- good group compared to honest group Disclosure scale significantly lower in fake- good group compared to honest group t-tests conducted on scales Hypotheses supported

10. Striking Similarity! When instructed to look like a very good parent, MCMI-III profile remarkably similar to individuals undergoing a custody evaluation Profile in this setting likely to be artefact of faking-good and not psychopathology… However…

11. Ambiguous profile… Elevations also seen in honest group Histrionic, Narcissistic, Compulsive individuals may be more likely to terminate relationship and litigate over custody MCMI-III item structure and adjustments Difficult profile to interpret Further research necessary