Detecting random responding using the Assessment of Depression Inventory: a brief screening measure of depression.

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, the assessment of random responding in psychological assessment tools has been the primary domain of large multi-scale inventories. However, the ability of clinicians to assess random responding when using short symptom inventories is also an important facet of reliably assessing psychopathology and psychological distress. METHODS: This study assesses the effectiveness of a short symptom inventory, the Assessment of Depression Inventory (ADI), to assess random responding. RESULTS: The responses of 335 clinical patients, 150 responses from a feigning population, and 1,000 generated random profiles were compared to determine if the Random and Reliability scales of the ADI could detect adequately random responses. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that even scales as short as four items can be used to detect random responses in symptom inventories at levels equivalent to or better than longer multi-scale inventories.