The Fake Bad Scale: Malingering or Litigation Response Syndrome -- Which is It?

Authors

David S. NicholsFollow
Carlton S. Gass, Bruce W. Carter Veteran's Affairs Medical Center

Abstract

This report examines the similarity of items on the MMPI-2 and MMPI-2-RF versions of the Lees-Haley, et al. (1991) Symptom Validity (formerly Fake Bad) Scale (FBS; FBS-r) with emotional and somatic symptoms described in an earlier article by Lees-Haley as credible stress reactions to litigation involvement: the Litigation Response Syndrome (Lees-Haley, 1988). Substantial overlap was found between the FBS items and these earlier symptom descriptions, with a majority of the litigation-based stress items found on both the FBS and FBS-r. The probable impact of credible symptom reporting on FBS/FBS-r scores in personal injury litigation is discussed.

Recommended Citation

Nichols, David S. and Gass, Carlton S. (2015) "The Fake Bad Scale: Malingering or Litigation Response Syndrome -- Which is It?," Archives of Assessment Psychology: Vol. 5, Article 5.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/psyassessment/vol5/iss1/5