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Questions and Answers about the Psychological Testing Component of the Risk Assessment Procedure for Employees

Why do I need to do psychological testing?

When you go to your physician for an annual check up you often have to give a blood sample so your doctor can determine what's going on with you physically without having to rely solely upon your self-report. For the same reasons, mental health clinicians often use psychological tests to get a better sense of what's going on with you emotionally and interpersonally. The reason why we use testing as part of the Risk Assessment Procedure is so we can better understand you and your current and past stressors.

What kind of testing is going to be done?

Prior to meeting with a FASAP clinician, you will be asked to complete three psychological tests: the Life Stress Questionnaire, the MMPI-2, and the NEO-PI-R. Unfortunately these tests aren't short; in fact they often take people anywhere from a few hours to more than a half day to complete. You will, of course, be allowed to take breaks during the testing.

What do these tests do?

The Life Stress Questionnaire is a "paper-and-pencil" questionnaire that was designed by a team of psychologists to help understand what recent stresses you might be experiencing, as well as any long-standing stresses you have dealt with in the past. The MMPI-2 is a test that requires you to answer either "true" or "false" to 567 statements about yourself. While some of the statements seem odd or not related to the reason you were referred to FASAP, we ask that you respond to all the items, marking either "true" or "false" to describe how you generally feel about each statement. The NEO-PI-R is a test that measures five different dimensions of personality (neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness).

I have always done poorly on tests... What happens if I fail?

Unlike tests in school, your performance or knowledge is not judged or tested, so you cannot fail. As long as you answer the questions openly and honestly, and you don't skip many questions, the tests will be "valid" and will help the FASAP clinician understand you and your current situation better.

Now that I know what these tests do, what happens if I don't answer honestly?

When completed properly these psychological tests will help the FASAP clinician better understand you, your recent and more distant past stresses, and your present situation. It is essential that you answer these questions as openly and honestly as possible. Built in to these tests are "validity scales" which help determine if you are responding to the questions openly, honestly, and accurately. These sensitive scales alert the FASAP clinician to situations in which you may be trying to "fake good" or "fake bad", or respond in a haphazard manner. Attempting to respond in one of these ways will limit the FASAP clinician's ability to make an accurate assessment, and may affect the Risk Assessment Team's recommendations.

What happens if I refuse to take these tests?

You always have the right to refuse to take these tests (and to be interviewed by a FASAP clinician). However if you do, the Risk Assessment Team cannot make an accurate and reasonably reliable assessment of your situation, and will make its recommendations based on the limited information otherwise available regarding the circumstances that prompted the referral. Thus, you may be subject to discipline up to and possibly including termination. Rest assured, the recommendations from the Risk Assessment Team never rely solely upon any one component of the Risk Assessment Process.

The questions on the test seem irrelevant. Why should I answer them?

Though some of the questions on the tests seem to be related to your referral for Risk Assessment, and others don't seem to be relevant, it is essential to answer all of the questions. The reason for this is that these tests cover a broad range of information and are used for many different purposes other than Risk Assessment. However, for the tests to be usable, you cannot skip questions. If you do, you'll be asked to fill them out again later.

I have trouble reading and don't always understand everything I read. What should I do?

Many people have difficulty reading and understanding what they read. For that reason, we have audio tapes of someone reading the questions that you can listen to as you mark in the appropriate answers, so you don't have to worry about reading. Please tell the FASAP clinician if you want to use the audio tapes as soon as possible. If you try to take the tests and don't understand what you're reading, the test results will probably be invalid, so it is essential that you let the FASAP clinician know prior to taking the tests.

I still have other questions. What should I do?

You should always feel free to ask the FASAP clinician any questions you have about the testing or any other part of the Risk Assessment Process. If he or she cannot answer the question, you will be referred to someone who can.

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