تمارض تشخیص در یک جمعیت اسپانیایی با طراحی گروه های شناخته شده

Malingering detection has become a topic of increased interest in the US over the last years. However, this development has not been matched in Europe. For example, in Spain there is insufficient evidence to support the use of reliable and valid malingering tests. In this study, we tested the applicability of two malingering detection tests (Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) and Dot Counting Test) in a Spanish sample. The sample included three groups of patients (30 non-compensation seeking, 14 compensation seeking non-suspected of malingering, and 10 suspected of malingering) and a group of analog students (n = 54). Tests’ results were able to discriminate between the groups of malingerers (both patients and analogs) and non-malingerers (both compensation seeking and non-compensation seeking). However, the TOMM achieved a higher overall classification rate than the Dot Counting Test. Our results encourage the use of the TOMM as an indicator of malingering with Spanish population.

Forensic neuropsychology has experienced considerable growth in the past few years. This expansion can be noticed through the increased number of articles published in this field (Bigler, 2006; Sweet, King, Manila, Bergman, & Simons, 2002) as well as varying practice patterns (Sweet, Peck, Abramowitz, & Etzweiler, 2002) and the emergence of specific publications, such as the Journal of Forensic Neuropsychology. Furthermore, the increasing number of presentations at conferences, workshops and books (e.g., Larrabee, 2005 and McCaffrey, 1997) reflects this significant growth. Within the subspecialty, malingering has become the most widely studied topic (Sweet, King, et al., 2002) due to the high demand for neuropsychological services in forensic settings associated with both personal injury and criminal cases. This is especially the case in situations with mild brain injury or dysfunction. Currently, an increasing percentage of individuals are involved in neuropsychological evaluations in which significant economic gains occur when cognitive impairment is established. In many cases, data from neuropsychological testing are the only source of objective evidence of brain impairments. This is especially true in cases of mild brain damage and cases of post concussion syndromes, where results of neuroimaging studies are usually negative and the neurological signs are generally absent