The Ability of the MMPI-2 to Detect Feigned PTSD Within the Context of Compensation Seeking

The ability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) validity scales to detect feigned reports of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was examined in a group of veterans undergoing a compensation and pension evaluation. Veterans who were seeking compensation for service connected PTSD were randomly assigned to one of two groups: exaggerate PTSD and respond honestly. The MMPI-2 Infrequency (F) family of scales was able to accurately identify the veterans instructed to exaggerate PTSD. The Fake Bad Scale (FBS) did not add incrementally to the prediction of exaggerated PTSD and the Infrequency-Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale (Fptsd) added significantly, albeit minimally, to the prediction of exaggerated PTSD. The Infrequency Psychopathology (F _P) scale obtained the best overall hit rate in comparison to the other over-reporting indicators on the MMPI-2, both at optimal and at previously recommended cut scores. In sum, the MMPI-2 effectively differentiated compensation seeking veterans instructed to exaggerate PTSD from compensation seeking veterans instructed to respond honestly.