Diagnostic test usage by forensic psychologists in emotional injury cases

Psychologists are becoming increasingly involved in forensic assessments of emotional injuries. To determine which psychodiagnostic instruments are in use in emotional injury assessments and to see if practitioners use instruments for reasons consistent with the admissibility of expert testimony under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (1993), current psychodiagnostic instrument use in emotional injury cases was examined among 80 concurrent members of American Psychological Association Division 12 and Division 41. Findings indicate that test selection and reasons for test selection are highly variable. It is suggested that experts need to select tests more carefully and, specifically, with Daubert criteria in mind.