A simulation study on the utility of the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms-Second Edition (SIRS-2) in Taiwan Region adults

The Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS) and its revised edition (SIRS-2) are frequently used in forensic psychological evaluations for assessing response style. The present research investigated the utility of this instrument in Taiwan Region adults. In a simulation design, 143 nonclini...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Authors: Tam, Wai-Cheong Carl (Author) ; Chang, Yi-Ting 1905- (Author) ; Rosenfeld, Barry (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2026
In: Psychology, crime & law
Year: 2026, Volume: 32, Issue: 1, Pages: 80-91
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
forensic evaluation
Malingering
feigning
Chinese SIRS-2
Description
Summary:The Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS) and its revised edition (SIRS-2) are frequently used in forensic psychological evaluations for assessing response style. The present research investigated the utility of this instrument in Taiwan Region adults. In a simulation design, 143 nonclinical volunteers were randomly assigned to either simulating or honest-responding groups. Results indicated that the primary scales of the Chinese SIRS-2 possessed acceptable internal consistency and generated large to very large effect sizes (1.39–2.17) in differentiating simulators and genuine respondents. The convergent validity of the Chinese SIRS-2 was supported by the correlations of its scales with the Chinese MMPI-2 validity scales. Confirmatory factor analysis results showed a one-factor model. The decision models of both the SIRS and SIRS-2 resulted in few to no false positives, while the SIRS had greater sensitivity than the SIRS-2. The SIRS-2 total score generated discrimination rates comparable to the published manual in detecting feigning or honest responding. Results supported the use of the Chinese SIRS-2 in Taiwan Region adults. However, as the research methodology inflates both effect sizes and specificity estimates, further research is needed to examine the clinical utility of the Chinese SIRS-2.
ISSN:1477-2744
DOI:10.1080/1068316X.2023.2222214