Detection of Deliberate Denial in Child Abusers

Abstract

This study examined the comparative validity of paper-and-pencil scales for faking-good only, faking-bad only, and both (so-called bipolar scales) in detecting denial among 125 suspected child abusers and spouses who were assessed in a real-life situation. Subjects who were known to be denying (according to a reliable external criterion) scored significantly higher on all three faking-good scales than those who did not deny their abusive behavior, but these subjects did not differ on their faking-bad scores. The discriminative ability of the bipolar scales fell in between. The results confirmed the utility of the three faking-good scales for detecting faking-good and also provided further support for the contention that faking-good and faking-bad are conceptually distinct.

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