Date of Award

2009

Degree Type

Thesis

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Poreh, Amir

Subject Headings

Post-traumatic stress disorder, Neuropsychology, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Posttraumatic stress disorder, Neuropsychology, Simulation, Digit span, Digit symbol, Trail making test, Rey auditory verbal learning test, Poor effort, Malingering

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to gather data in order to develop new indices to aid clinicians in more accurately distinguishing between patients feigning posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and those with genuine PTSD. Participants were administered a battery of tests that included the Digit Span, Digit Symbol, Trail Making Test (TMT), and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) twice, once while performing genuinely and again while simulating PTSD. The results of this study found that trails 21-25 of part A of the TMT are a good indicator of poor effort. This measurement was found to have high sensitivity (90.7 ) and specificity (82.2 ). Construct validity was established with correlational analysis. Trails 21-25 of part A of the TMT highly correlated with several well validated measurements of effort such as the Reliable Digit Span (-.492) and the RAVLT Forced Choice Thirty Minute Delay (-.563)

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

COinS