Multimodal assessment of self-serving misrepresentation during personal injury evaluation

Data relevant to self-serving misrepresentation were obtained in three modalities (projective, behavioral/biographical, and inventory) on 151 patients who underwent psychiatric evaluation to determine their disability status. Factor analysis showed three types of misrepresentation: disability promotion, extreme virtue, and psychiatric exaggeration. A fourth factor, related to socioeconomic status, was also suggested. The three sources of data were broadly represented across the types of misrepresentation, which were also consistent with clinical expectation regarding the most common ways in which disability patients might misrepresent themselves. Replication of these findings should be sought with other subject groups.