Authors: Anna Maria Jadwiga Wegierek
Two clinical groups are compared. One group is a forensic group, which wishes to prove to the United States government of their Extreme Hardship in order to be able to retain their spouses in the U.S. The other group is comprised of patients who wish to have a Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) implanted in order to decrease their pain. Both groups have much to lose; the question is, which one will exaggerate their clinical presentation? The
hypothesis was that the forensic group would exaggerate and distort their symptomology more than the SCS group. It was found that both groups perform similarly on validity scales. This finding provides important clinical information for both clinicians working with the SCS group and those who accept referrals for Extreme Hardship Psychological Evaluations. One more interesting phenomenon illustrated in this article is that the group of spouses
who have no citizenship undergo physical, emotional, and sexual trauma because they have no legal standing in the USA.