Changes in validity test scores after COVID: Reflection of general distress or something else?

Objective: This study examined whether rates of symptom and performance validity test (SVT, PVT) failure among assessment-seeking postsecondary students changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic relative to pre-pandemic levels, and whether such changes co-occurred with increased general psychological distress (GPD). Method: Archival data were analyzed from 1076 students assessed for possible attention-related disorders between 2018 and 2024 at a regional university-based assessment center. Participants completed multiple symptom and performance validity measures, a self-report measure of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and a higher-order measure of general psychological distress. Students were grouped by assessment timing: pre-COVID (2018-March 1, 2020), during COVID (March 2, 2020-August 2022), or post-COVID (September 2022-September 2024). Results: Failure rates on most PVTs did not differ significantly across time periods, indicating overall stability in performance validity, with one dyslexia-related validity measure showing higher failure rates post-COVID. On a personality assessment, students assessed during and after COVID reported significantly higher Negative Impression Management scores, lower Positive Impression Management scores, and greater GPD. Rates of severe GPD increased from 23% pre-COVID to 38% during and after COVID. Failure on ADHD-specific SVTs also increased significantly post-COVID, indicating higher rates of non-credible ADHD symptom reporting despite stable performance validity. Discussion: Since the onset of COVID-19, postsecondary students have demonstrated heightened psychological distress alongside increased non-credible self-reporting, particularly for ADHD symptoms. These findings reflect parallel trends rather than a direct causal relationship and underscore the importance of incorporating both symptom and performance validity testing when interpreting self-reported symptoms in clinical and psychoeducational assessments.