| This study explored the relationship between depression and malingering in traumatic brain injury (TBI) evaluations in a sample of United States Armed Forces service members. In particular, it looked at differences between service members who participated in a Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) and those who did not. Service members in the sample completed the Word Memory Test (WMT) and Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) as part of their neuropsychological battery. The data showed that those in the MEB group had lower scores on the WMT Delayed Recall subtest and higher scores on the PAI Depression subscale compared to participants in the Non-MEB group. A t-test for significant differences between the means of the two independent samples showed MEB participation was a significant variable. The results of independent t-tests showed MEB group members (M=80.67) scoring significantly lower than Non-MEB group members (M=87.54), t(195.56) = 3.68, p<.001, d=.448. The results suggest that service members undergoing the MEB process will be more likely to fail tests of effort than their non-MEB counterparts, and may require additional considerations in terms of treatment opportunity and interpretation of malingering. |
