PhD Conferral Mrs. Irena Boskovic - Double doctorate Maastricht University-University of Portsmouth

Keywords: malingering, symptoms, detection, fabrication

"A Multi-Method Approach to the Detection of Fabricated Symptoms"

The focus of this research was to investigate different methods for detecting fabricated symptoms. Intentional fabrication of symptoms for an external benefit (e.g., compensation) is defined as malingering. Malingering leads to serious financial, social and legal consequences, therefore, investigating and creating new methods for its detection is of high importance. In this dissertation, different indications of fabricated symptoms were examined, such as the quality of symptom statements, response pattern on reaction time tasks, and on the self-report questionnaires. Throughout the eight studies, each method was closely assessed and the findings support a multi-method approach to the detection of fabricated symptoms.