The Spectrum of Response Bias in Trauma Reports: Overreporting, Underreporting, and Mixed Presentation
AbstractTypically, research on response bias in symptom reports covers two extreme ends of the spectrum: overreporting and underreporting. Yet, little is known about symptom presentation that includes both types of response bias simultaneously (i.e., mixed presentation). We experimentally checked how overreporting, underreporting, and mixed reporting reflect in trauma symptom reports. Undergraduate students (N = 151) were randomly allocated to one of four conditions: control group (n = 40), overreporting (n = 37), underreporting (n = 36), or a mixed reporting (n = 38) group. The control group was asked ...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - April 5, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Comparing Rates of Mental Health Diagnosis in Adolescents Evaluated at a Community Clinic Versus Detention-Based Clinic: Is Traumatic Stress Still Most Salient?
AbstractAdolescents involved in the juvenile legal system (JLS) have higher rates of mental health treatment needs compared to their non-justice-involved peers, and they experience disproportionate rates of trauma exposure and trauma-related psychosocial concerns. Most research comparing these adolescent groups draws data from separate studies, making it more challenging to understand meaningful differences between the two groups. Research documenting making such comparisons can guide prevention and intervention strategies for communities and their juvenile detention centers. The current study involves a secondary data ...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - March 14, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Seeing Clearly in the Twilight: The Clinical and Forensic Relevance of the Indeterminate/Borderline Range in Multivariate Models of Performance Validity Assessment
This study was designed to empirically evaluate the clinical/forensic utility of a three-way classification system (Pass/Borderline/Fail) for the outcome of multivariate models of performance validity tests (MV-PVTs). Retrospective archival data from 100 patients with traumatic brain injury were collected from an academic medical center. Five MV-PVTs were developed, consisting of 5 through 13 embedded PVTs, using two different aggregation methods and two established free-standing PVTs as criterion measures. Theindeterminate/Borderline range emerged as a third outcome of PVTs that is psychometrically distinct from both clea...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - March 8, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Psychiatric Diagnosis 10 Years After the Publication of DSM-5: Update of its Impact on the Legal System
AbstractTen years after the adoption of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and with the recent publication of a text revision (DSM-5-TR), the limitations of this system for diagnostic classification of mental disorders remain. However, given that the alternatives that have been proposed have their own serious problems, DSM is likely to be retained for some time to come. It is generally accepted by courts as reflecting expert opinion. This paper highlights problems with the reliability and validity of DSM diagnoses, the tendency to overdiagnosis of certain categories, lea...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - February 26, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Clinician-Court Agreement and Predictors of Court Adjudication in Civil Incompetency Examinations
AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the rate of agreement between clinicians and judges in civil incompetency adjudications in incompetency and restoration cases and to determine predictors of court adjudications with clinician recommendation as a predictor. Court files were obtained for court-ordered requests (N = 345) for incompetency evaluations from one urban county. Court files containing the legal opinion were linked with clinical files containing demographic variables such as age, education, sex, race, residency status, relationship status, and cognitive and functional testing. The latter were th e ...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - February 23, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Measurement of Working Memory on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale: Should We Subtract Arithmetic?
AbstractDeficits in working memory are often used as evidence to support the diagnosis of a neuropsychological disorder or acquired brain injury. Subtests that comprise the working memory index (WMI) of the WAIS-IV are assumed to all measure the same construct; however, deficits in basic arithmetic skills may unduly influence performance on the Arithmetic subtest, particularly among students with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The current study examined the relationship between working memory scores and measured mathematical ability in a sample of 605 postsecondary students seeking psychoeducational assessments to verify...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - February 4, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Interventions for Trauma-Affected Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: An Overview of Diagnostic, Ethical, and Clinical Challenges and Evidence-Based Treatments
AbstractRecognition of the high prevalence of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress reactions among young offenders has led to calls for a shift toward the implementation of trauma-informed approaches in juvenile justice systems. However, meeting the clinical needs of youth in this population not only requires comprehending the profound effects of polyvictimization, developmental trauma, and complex PTSD but also an appreciation of the ways in which traumatic experiences and posttraumatic sequela intersect with diverse youth identities, including ethnicity and race, gender, sexual minority status, developmental stage, a...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - February 1, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
A Review of Reasons for Inconsistency in Testimonies of Torture Victims
AbstractThe encounter between torture victims and the legal system is mostly dismissive. Thus, victims have repeatedly submitted complaints regarding alleged torture to the relevant authorities, but these cases are often rejected. A common reason for rejection is the inconsistency within and between testimonies, which can give the impression that the victim is fabricating the story and then undermines the legal case. This paper reviews the reasons that could explain the disparities in the testimonies of torture survivors. It relates to six facets that, taken together, increase the likelihood of inconsistency: (a) detention...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - January 26, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
The Memory Integrated Language Test (MIL Test): Initial Validation of a Novel Web-Based Performance Validity Test
AbstractThis pilot study aimed to establish initial validity of a novel web-based freestanding performance validity test (PVT) in a mixed clinical sample of outpatients (N = 110) referred for neuropsychological evaluation. Participants were 110 adults (75.4% female, 89% white) classified as valid (i.e., ≤ 1 PVT failures;M age = 50.98, SD = 15.51,n = 94) or invalid (i.e., ≥ 2 PVT failures;M age = 50.75, SD = 12.51,n = 16) using a known-group design with five well-established, independent criterion PVTs. The Memory Integrated Language Test (MIL Test) is a web-based PVT designed to id...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - January 15, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Test Anxiety Symptoms in College Students: Base Rates and Statistical Deviance
AbstractTest anxiety is a common concern in students of all ages, and over the past few decades, there has been debate about whether to consider test anxiety a formal psychological disorder, or even a disability under the law. The present study informs those debates with information about the base rates of different test anxiety symptoms in a large sample of college students (n = 2773). Students completed the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) as well as a demographics questionnaire. More than half of students indicated “often” or “almost always” feeling very uneasy before getting a test back, and most symptoms were ...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - January 4, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Applying the Daubert Factors to MMPI-3-Based Testimony
AbstractA new version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) family of instruments, the MMPI-3, was published in 2020, and with its release as with any updated instrument, forensic practitioners must be prepared to address potential challenges to MMPI-3-based testimony. The US Supreme Court decision inDaubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (1993) explicated a set of factors that could be considered by trial judges when gauging the admissibility of proffered expert testimony. The same issues can be raised during cross-examination designed to limit the weight of MMPI-3-based evidence in testimony at ...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - January 4, 2024 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Development and Validation of the Simplified Chinese Version of the Injustice Experience Questionnaire with Cross-Cultural Adaptation
This study aimed to develop the IEQ-SC and examine its psychometric properties. The IEQ-SC was administered to 212 patients with musculoskeletal injury aged 21–83 years who visited the hospital. Participants completed several patient-reported outcome measures: the IEQ-SC, the Pai n Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) pain intensity measured by a numerical rating scale (NRS), and the BPI pain interference. The factor structures of the IEQ-SC were investigated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Construct validity was assessed between th e IEQ-SC and PCS, NRS, and BPI pain interfere...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - December 23, 2023 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Cutoff Elasticity in Multivariate Models of Performance Validity Assessment as a Function of the Number of Components and Aggregation Method
AbstractThere are growing concerns that increasing the number of performance validity tests (PVTs) may inflate the false positive rate. Indeed, the number of available embedded PVTs increased exponentially within the last decades. However, the standard for declaring a neurocognitive profileinvalid ( ≥ 2 PVT failures) has not been adjusted to reflect this change. Data were collected from 100 clinically referred patients with traumatic brain injury. Two distinct aggregation methods were used to combine multiple (5, 7, 9, 11 and 13) embedded PVTs into a single-number summary of performance val idity using two established ...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - November 14, 2023 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Results of Symptom Validity Testing in Portuguese Prison Inmates: The Influence of Educational Level, Age, and Conviction Status
AbstractCurrent guidelines for psychological assessment recommend the use of multiple validity measures in an evaluation protocol, particularly in forensic settings. As such, self-report instruments which detect distorted symptom reporting have become essential. We studied a pooled sample of 240 male inmates with the Self-Report Symptom Inventory (SRSI), the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS), and the Symptom Validity Scale –Version 2 (EVS-2). Concurrent validity was analyzed via correlations between all three symptom validity tests (SVTs), revealing strong associations (rho ranging from .72 to .79)...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - November 4, 2023 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Forensic Evaluations for Immigration Courts: A Critical Commentary on Legal and Ethical Considerations
AbstractThe US population of immigrants and refugees has steadily increased, as have efforts to curtail their numbers via detention and deportation. Critically, forensic evaluations for immigration courts have reflected a burgeoning specialty of both empirical scholarship and professional practice. In recognizing the growing role of forensic practitioners in immigration-related evaluations, the current article examines legal and professional issues facing the field. Specifically, the empirical landscape regarding “immigration trauma” is introduced as a salient backdrop to all other professional issues. Building on this...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - November 4, 2023 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
