Symptom validity test performance in U.S. veterans referred for evaluation of mild TBI

The current study examined Medical Symptom Validity Test (MSVT) performance in U.S. veterans referred for evaluation of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) after scoring positive on the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) TBI screening measures. Fifty-eight percent of the sample scored below the MSVT cut scores on subtests more sensitive to effort than to neurological insult. There were no differences among those who did and those who did not pass the MSVT as a function of gender, age, education, ethnicity, previous posttraumatic stress disorder or substance use disorder diagnoses, or Personality Assessment Inventory validity scales designed to measure negative impression management. A higher number of those who were service connected and previously diagnosed with a depressive condition failed the measure at a higher rate than those who were not. These results are discussed in relation to the specific nature of VHA patient populations.