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PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT SCREENER™ Score Report by Leslie C. Morey, PhD and PAR Staff Client Information _______________________________________________________________________ Client Name : Sample A. Client Client ID : 123-45-6789 Age : 28 Gender : Male Education : 12 Marital Status : Single Test Date : 07/12/2000 Prepared For : -Not Specified- _______________________________________________________________________ Interpretive Caveats The PAS is designed to provide a brief screening of information relevant to various clinical problems and to be useful in targeting areas where follow-up assessments might be needed. The PAS is not designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the domains of psychopathology or normal personality, and diagnostic and treatment decisions should never be based exclusively on the results of the PAS. Interpretation of PAS scores and responses requires a professional who is trained or supervised in the appropriate uses and limitations of self-report measures and who is knowledgeable in the area of the screening assessment of psychopathology. This report is intended to be used solely in the context of a professional- to-professional consultation. Such reports are never intended to be the sole basis of any professional decisions and should always be considered one of many sources of hypotheses for decision-making. PAR Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. • 16204 North Florida Ave. • Lutz, FL 33549 • 1.800.331.8378 • www.parinc.com Personality Assessment Screener™ copyright © 1989, 1990, 1991, 1997 by Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. All rights reserved. Personality Assessment Inventory™ copyright © 1989, 1990, 1991 by Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. All rights reserved. PAS Score Report copyright © 1997 by Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or by any means without written permission of Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. “Personality Assessment Inventory”, “Personality Assessment Screener”, and “PAS” are trademarks and “PAI” is a registered trademark, all owned by Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. Personality Assessment Screener Score Report Page 2 Client ID : 123-45-6789 Test Date : 07/12/2000 Interpretation of PAS Scores Raw P Risk for clinical Score score score problems PAS Total 27 87.71 Marked Negative Affect (NA) 4 53.9 Moderate Acting Out (AO) 5 67.6 Moderate Health Problems (HP) 0 36.3 Normal Psychotic Features (PF) 2 72.1 Moderate Social Withdrawal (SW) 2 72.1 Moderate Hostile Control (HC) 4 56.0 Moderate Suicidal Thinking (ST) 2 83.1 Marked Alienation (AN) 4 82.9 Marked Alcohol Problem (AP) 2 51.8 Moderate Anger Control (AC) 2 48.5 Mild The PAS Total score assesses the potential for clinically significant emotional and behavioral problems and the need for a comprehensive follow-up evaluation. The individual PAS elements shown above are each comprised of two to three items tapping different potential problem areas in mental health. Because of their brevity, the elements are designed to serve only as rough guidelines for subsequent assessment. Interpretation of an individual PAS element should be attempted only when the PAS Total score is elevated (i.e., moderate, marked, or extreme risk) because, in the absence of an elevated PAS Total score, an isolated element elevation is considerably less likely to reflect a problem. For this reason, interpretation is only offered for elevated elements when the PAS Total P score exceeds 47. Validity of PAS Scores There does not appear to be any indication that the client was attempting to distort the PAS results in either a positive or a negative direction. However, a follow-up assessment is recommended, and such distorting factors should nevertheless be considered in a more comprehensive manner in that assessment. Pattern of PAS Scores: The Potential for Emotional and Behavioral Problems As noted previously, the PAS Total score assesses the potential for emotional and behavioral problems of clinical significance and the need for comprehensive follow-up evaluation. This client obtained a PAS Total raw score of 27, which corresponds to a P score of 87.71. Roughly 88% of persons obtaining this score will report some type of difficulty in a comprehensive self-report evaluation. This score indicates the client has a Marked risk of experiencing clinical problems. This reported potential for emotional and/or behavioral problems is substantially greater than is typical for community-dwelling adults. Follow-up self-report assessments are very likely to identify significant problems. The follow-up assessment should target the following areas: Personality Assessment Screener Score Report Page 3 Client ID : 123-45-6789 Test Date : 07/12/2000 Suicidal Thinking (ST = 83.1P) The client’s responses indicate marked potential for problems within the Suicidal Thinking domain. This result suggests that he is experiencing thoughts of death or suicide. Follow-up evaluation is strongly recommended and should include an immediate evaluation of current suicidal ideation (e.g., specificity of plans for suicide), review of any previous gestures or attempts and their lethality, and an evaluation of current circumstances that might increase suicide risk (e.g., living alone, substance abuse problems, etc.). It is important to realize that such thoughts are generally common within clinical settings but fairly rare in the general population. As a result, elevations on ST are the rule rather than the exception when assessments are conducted in the context of a clinical evaluation. This fact points to the importance of detailed evaluation of suicidal ideation and behaviors as part of any clinical evaluation. ST elevations tend to be highest in disorders at elevated risk for suicidal behavior, such as major depression or borderline personality, and follow-up evaluation should also target symptoms of these disorders. However, the presence of nearly any emotional problem substantially increases the risk of suicide, and the nonspecificity of suicidal ideation within a clinical population should be recognized in constructing the follow- up evaluation. Alienation (AN = 82.9P) The client’s responses indicate marked potential for problems within the Alienation domain. The client is very likely to feel unsupported and treated unfairly by others. Perhaps as a result, he is likely to maintain distance in relationships and to approach them with a great deal of skepticism. These characteristics do not necessarily imply that the client is socially withdrawn (see the SW element score), but rather item endorsement indicates failures in forming close relationships. Externalizing features, such as acting out and projection, may be present. Follow-up evaluation is strongly recommended and should include a careful examination of the client’s social support system to determine the nature and target of this bitterness. Because the client is likely to place considerable blame upon other individuals for his difficulties, an important goal of the follow-up assessment will be to clarify the reality basis for the client’s experience. If possible, family members should be involved in the assessment to help clarify the reality basis for the client’s experience of alienation. AN elevations tend to occur in diagnostic groups where defects in the ability to form attachment relationships are prominent, such as the DSM-IV "Cluster B" personality disorders of antisocial and borderline personalities, as well as Schizophrenia, paranoia, and related disorders. Thus, another goal of any follow-up assessment of an AN elevation is to determine whether the elevation has resulted from recent psychological problems or, alternatively, it is alienation resulting from problems that are long-standing or characterological in nature. Psychotic Features (PF = 72.1P) The client’s responses indicate moderate potential for problems within the Psychotic Features domain. There are suggestions of potential problems with persecutory or paranoid thinking and possibly other psychotic phenomena. Follow-up evaluation is recommended and should carefully examine the client’s thought processes and content, with particular attention to the presence of delusional or hallucinatory phenomena. Diagnostic symptomatology associated with Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, and mania should be evaluated through the client’s self-report as well as through clinical observation of the client. The suggestion of Personality Assessment Screener Score Report Page 4 Client ID : 123-45-6789 Test Date : 07/12/2000 paranoid features indicated by a PF elevation may make reliance upon self-reported symptoms difficult, so the gathering of historical and collateral information may be advisable. Social Withdrawal (SW = 72.1P) The client’s responses indicate moderate potential for problems within the Social Withdrawal domain. Item endorsement suggests problems with social detachment and discomfort in close relationships. The client may have little apparent interest or investment in social interactions. Others may view the client as cold, unfeeling, and unable to display affection and to commit to personal relationships. Follow-up evaluation is recommended to examine the client’s social history and the status of current relationships. It is important to note that these disruptions in interpersonal relatedness can be associated with highly diverse problems. Social withdrawal can stem from apathy, marked shyness or anxiety, trauma-induced alienation, autistic withdrawal, distrust, or instability of relationships. Other elevations on the PAS element scores should be examined to identify concomitant problems that might identify the specific nature of the social difficulties. Acting Out (AO = 67.6P) The client’s responses indicate moderate potential for problems within the Acting Out domain. There are suggestions of potential problems with impulsivity, sensation-seeking, recklessness, and a disregard for convention and authority. Follow-up evaluation is recommended and should target disorders that are associated with acting out behaviors, such as drug abuse, antisocial and borderline personality, alcoholism, and mania. These types of problems are particularly susceptible to distortions in self-presentation because of motivated distortion, limited insight, or both. Thus, it is particularly useful for the follow-up evaluation to include some assessment of response distortion as well as the use of collateral information (e.g., from family, acquaintances, or existing records) to supplement self-reported information. Areas of particular focus should include substance abuse, illegal or criminal activities, and impulsive, seemingly self-destructive acts. Hostile Control (HC = 56.0P) The client’s responses indicate potential for problems within the Hostile Control domain. Item endorsement indicates possible problems in interpersonal relationships associated with a need for control and with a potentially inflated self-image. The client may relate to others in a pragmatic way and may have difficulty or disinterest in close relationships. Follow-up assessment is recommended and should consider those disorders where difficulties in empathy are prominent, such as antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders or mania. Negative Affect (NA = 53.9P) The client’s responses indicate moderate potential for problems within the Negative Affect domain. There are suggestions of potential problems with depression, anxiety, personal distress, tension, worry, and feeling demoralized. Although the client’s prevailing emotions may vary between tension and unhappiness, it is likely that the affective quality is consistently negative. Follow-up evaluation is recommended and should target disorders that have a pronounced emotional component, such as affective or anxiety disorders. It should also be recognized that many other emotional disorders also involve prominent negative
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