A-308 Coached Malingering Detection: Validity of an Online Adaptation of the Portland Digit Recognition Test

Abstract

Abstract Objective: The prevalence of malingering following a personal injury is estimated to range from 1% (Hickling et al., 1999) to more than 50% (Resnick, 1997). Thus, it is imperative to have malingering measures that are well-validated (Janaski et al., 2011). Additionally, with the proliferation of telehealth and online neuropsychological assessment, a question is raised to whether the results of such measures are comparable to those used in person. Therefore, this study aimed to validate an online adaptation of the PDRT for detection of coached malingerers. Methods: 282 participants were randomly assigned to the coached malingerers’ or control group and completed an online adaptation of the Portland Digit Recognition Test (PDRT). The coached malingerers’ group was instructed to perform as if they have a TBI and received a test-taking strategy. Sensitivity for the online PDRT were compared to in-person PDRT scores from published simulation studies (e.g. Rose et al., 1998; Gustad and Suhr, 2001). Results: The online adaptation of the PDRT demonstrated a sensitivity of 94% when detecting coached malingerers. When compared to coached malingering detection rates of 47% and 25% from Rose et al. (1998) and Gustad and Suhr (2001), respectively, the online PDRT adaptation consistently had higher sensitivity. Conclusions: These results helped demonstrate the validity of an online version of the PDRT for detection of coached malingering. When compared to the sensitivity of in-person PDRT scores, the online adaptation had higher sensitivity. Additional research and comparisons are needed to further validate the online version of the PDRT for detection of coached malingering.