Feigning and Malingering Severe Psychopathology on the Rorschach Test: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Limited performance-based tests exist for feigned severe psychopathology.
• Existing tests often focus on specific diagnostic presentations.
• The Rorschach task is a common performance test potentially impacted by feigning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of feigning severe psychopathology on the Rorschach task.
• To compare feigners' Rorschach performance against nonclinical and clinical control groups.
• To identify Rorschach variables and develop composites for detecting feigned severe psychopathology.

Main Methods:

• A preregistered meta-analysis of 21 studies (32 contrasts) was conducted.
• Feigned severe psychopathology groups were compared to nonclinical and clinical controls.
• Hypothesized Rorschach variables were examined, controlling for response count and adjusting for skewness.

Main Results:

• Compared to nonclinical controls, feigners increased indicators of perception/thinking problems and exaggerated stress/distress.
• Feigners showed similar task engagement to nonclinical controls.
• Relative to clinical controls, feigners produced fewer simplistic responses, displayed fewer thinking problems, and exaggerated stress/distress.

Conclusions:

• Feigning severe psychopathology on the Rorschach task involves specific patterns of response.
• Novel Rorschach composites show potential for improving the detection of feigned severe psychopathology.
• Findings inform future research and clinical assessment in forensic settings.