A-234 Psychopathology as a Factor in Failed Performance Validity Testing

Abstract Objective: Evidence of incomplete effort is sometimes attributed to common symptoms of depression, anxiety, or somatic preoccupations. The objective of this study was to examine the role of mood disturbance severity in failed performance validity testing (PVT) in referrals to a memory disorders clinic. Participants and Method: 164 non-compensation-seeking referrals, 66% women, 84% white non-Hispanic, were divided into two groups (n = 82) based on passed or failed PVT results. Participants had an average age 60.4 ± 15.7 and education 14.9 ± 2.9 years. However, 51% of participants had diagnoses of depression and anxiety. Protocols were screened for performance invalidity using Reliable Digit Span and Digit Span SS. Results: MMPI-2 content scales were factor analyzed (PCA/varimax) yielding three factors: Internalizing, Externalizing, and Thought Dysfunction. Mean scores on the three MMPI-2 factors were contrasted across the failed PVT and passed PVT samples. No significant differences emerged (all ps >.13). Mean scores on the MMPI-2 validity scales (F, Fb, Fp, and FBS) were also compared. No significant differences emerged (all ps > .29). Conclusions: Although it is often believed that psychological symptoms such as motivational inertia, apathy and indifference, emotional withdrawal and isolation, preoccupations and distractibility, and acting out tendencies contribute to incomplete effort and failed PVT, these results failed to support such a perspective. They are consistent with other published results that suggest that self-report validity on SVTs can be largely independent of performance validity. This proposition might be setting-specific. In this memory disorders clinic setting, psychopathology showed no measurable impact on effort or performance validity.