Prevalence of poor effort and malingered neurocognitive dysfunction in litigating patients in Switzerland

To determine the prevalence of inauthentic cognitive test results, the data of 455 examinees who had finished at least two performance validity tests (PVTs) were analyzed retrospectively. The PVTs administered were the WMT, MSVT, NV-MSVT, ASTM, BSV, RMT, and RDS. Classification as “definite” or “probable” malingering was done according to the Slick criteria. Sociodemographic variables and diagnoses were described using binary logistic regression. Poor effort in at least two PVTs correlated significantly with education levels, immigration, and origin. Irrespective of education level, the highest risk of definite malingering was found in first-generation migrants. Cervical spine dysfunction, normal cerebral imaging, PTSD, somatoform, and/or depressive disorders also correlated with negative response bias. The probability that psychiatric patients fulfill criteria of probable malingering was higher than in patients with isolated organic mental disorders.