“Who Feigns?” Perceptions of Sociodemographic Characteristics in Symptom Validity Assessment: An Exploratory Survey Among Mental Health Professionals

Objective: Few surveys in the field of symptom validity assessment (SVA) have examined assumptions about the sociodemographic profile of patients in relation to feigning. We aimed to explore what the sociodemographic profile of a feigner looks like from the perspective of professionals involved in SVA. Method: Professionals from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, neuropsychology, and medicine (N = 134) were surveyed on their assumptions about the propensity to feign as a function of age, ethnicity/race, gender identity, and education level. Results: A total of 67 professionals (half of the total sample) responded to the critical questions about the sociodemographic profile of feigners. Most of the professionals indicated that the sociodemographic differences in feigning depended on the quality of symptom presentation. Contrasting views were expressed on the characteristics and relationship between the propensity to feigning and the different disorder categories. A minority of professionals described the “typical” feigner as a White young adult (18–30 years) female with a high school degree or less education. Conclusions: The results underscore the exploratory nature of this study and highlight the diversity of professional perspectives, so caution should be exercised in interpreting these assumptions. Future research should focus on more representative samples and examine the contextual factors influencing professionals’ perceptions to enhance the accuracy and fairness of SVAs.