Using the Megargee MMPI-based classification system with MMPI-2s of male prison inmates.

To determine the impact of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 (MMPI-2; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989) on the Megargee offender classification system, 1,213 male offenders' responses on the original Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) were rescored and reprofiled as MMPI-2s, and the MMPI-2s of 422 male prisoners were used to estimate their original MMPIs. When classifications based on the original MMPIs were compared with those from MMPI-2s, less than two thirds were classified identically. Therefore, the original Megargee rules should not be used to classify MMPI-2s. A new set of classifactory rules was devised for the MMPI-2 which, on cross-validation, agreed with the original MMPI classifications in 82% of the cases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of the MMPI and the MMPI-2 for a sample of peace officers.

166 peace officers completed the MMPI and the MMPI-2 in one sitting. Results showed an overall concordance of 78% for the 2 tests when normal, high-point, and 2-point code types were grouped together and compared. A subset of well-defined profiles produced a concordance rate of 90%. Comparison of profile characteristics showed that half of the Ss produced the same high-point code type, one-third produced the same 2-point code type, 70% produced normal profiles on both tests, and all MMPI and MMPI-2 scales were highly correlated. These figures are highly similar to those found previously for 2 administrations of the MMPI. When the MMPI was compared to the MMPI-2 scored on original norms, 2 scales were found to differ significantly: Men and women both scored lower on Scale D (Depression) of the revised test; on Scale Mf (Masculinity-Femininity) of the MMPI-2, women scored higher and men scored lower. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI-2 with male and female state and federal prison inmates.

This study examined the base rates, patterns, and configurations of male and female prisoners on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989) validity, basic, supplementary, and content scales and compares them with the MMPI-2 adult norms and with the performance of offenders on the original MMPI (S. R. Hathaway & J. C. McKinley, 1943). Expectations as to which scales would show significant and meaningful elevations and effect scores were generally upheld. The most prominent MMPI-2 scales are Infrequency, 4, 6, 9, MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale-Revised, and Antisocial Practices for both genders, and Scales 5 and Addiction Admission Scale among women. Scales 0 and Responsibility scale appeared to be inhibitory scales. Men and women had similar profile configurations, but the female offenders' scores were more deviant than those of the men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinicians' perceptions of the comparability of the MMPI and MMPI-2.

Determined whether experienced MMPI users perceive the MMPI and MMPI-2 as yielding clinically comparable results. Clinical psychologists (N?=?35) reviewed pairs of MMPI and MMPI-2 profiles derived from the same test responses and estimated that 92–96% of their diagnoses and 89–93% of their narrative interpretations would be essentially the same or only slightly different from one version of the instrument to the other, whereas only 0–3% of either their diagnoses or reports would be quite different. MMPI-2 profiles with poorly defined code types were likely to be viewed as somewhat different or quite different from the MMPI. Low-ranging MMPI-2 profiles were most apt to be poorly defined and, correspondingly, most likely to be viewed as different from the MMPI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to Drs. Horvath and Fekken.

Responds to comments by P. Horvath (see record 2007-09683-001) and G. C. Fekken (see record 2007-09684-001) on the current authors' original article entitled The Research Base, Psychometric Properties and Clinical Uses of the MMPI-2 (see record 1992-25725-001). Horvath and Fekken have made a substantial contribution to the evolution of MMPI-based assessment by providing thoughtful evaluations of key issues in the revision. We appreciate both their endorsement of the improved aspects as well as the questions and critiques they skillfully raise. In the limited space allotted to us, we will try to respond to the major issues. Both Horvath and Fekken, while noting the ways in which MMPI-2 improves the original instrument, point out apparent deficiencies in the original instrument that were not eliminated. The current authors contend that regardless of its psychometric ugliness and somewhat archaic aspects, the MMPI has worked extremely well as a screening instrument for psychopathology. Second, Fekken raises an important concern about the validity of the MMPI-2. Two published studies are cited to debate this critique. Third, Fekken cites the work of Duckworth which reports apparent "differences" between the profiles of some participants who took both the original and revised MMPI. Unfortunately, Duckworth's report fails to address a fundamental prerequisite of experimental design: the test-retest variable. Fourth, Horvath, in his critique of the original MMPI, questions validity generalization. However, the cited research did not study the original MMPI instrument but rather an abbreviated derivation or approximation of the test, the Minimult, which utilizes only 81 of the original MMPI items. Fifth, both Horvath and Fekken note that there are additional aspects about the revision process, the psychometric properties, and the applicability of the MMPI-2 that were not addressed in our original article. These are significant issues that deserve a much more detailed response than we can render in this brief response. However, these issues have been and continue to be addressed in the research literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnicity and psychopathology: A meta-analytic review of 31 years of comparative MMPI/MMPI-2 research.

Meta-analyses were performed on 25 comparative Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and MMPI-2 studies of 1,428 male African Americans versus 2,837 male European Americans, 12 studies of 1,053 female African Americans versus 1,470 female European Americans, and 13 studies of 500 male Latino Americans and 1,345 male European Americans. Aggregate effect sizes suggest higher scores for ethnic minority groups than for European Americans on some MMPI/MMPI-2 scales and lower scores on others. However, none of the aggregate effect sizes suggest substantive differences from either a statistical or clinical perspective. The MMPI and MMPI-2 apparently do not unfairly portray African Americans and Latinos as pathological. Effect sizes across studies generally did not vary as a function of sociodemographic variables, research setting, or use of the MMPI versus MMPI-2. It is recommended that additional between- and within-ethnic groups psychopathology research continue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The comparability of MMPI and MMPI-2 scales and profiles.

The revised form of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) incorporates a number of changes that necessitate an investigation into the comparability of its scale scores and clinical profile to those of the original MMPI. In the current study, differences between scores obtained by 189 college students who completed both the original and revised forms of the MMPI were compared with differences between scores obtained by 188 other students who were administered the original form twice. Results indicated substantial congruence between the cross-administration stability of scores and profiles obtained by the two groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An improvement in the statistical validity of the MMPI-168 through modified scoring.

Standard Form R keys from the MMPI, when applied to the MMPI-168, fail to score all items on all scales. In the present research, the MMPIs of 100 male VA hospital alcoholics were rescored to include this missing information. The results indicate that this modified scoring procedure substantially improves the correlation between short-form and full-scale scores for the Paranoia and Schizophrenia scales. The importance of considering the scoring of repeated items when investigating other short forms by the "extraction" method was also noted. (1 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of three MMPI short forms: Limited clinical utility in classification.

A multivariate classification method was used to compare the Mini-Mult, Faschingbauer Abbreviated MMPI, and MMPI-168 with the standard MMPI profiles of 252 psychiatric inpatients (mean age 27.4 yrs). Profiles were classified as 1 of 3 previous identified superordinate types (neurotic, psychotic, and sociopathic), using the standard MMPI profile as a criterion. Overall classification was below clinical utility, with distortions of profile shape the most serious error. No form was judged to be adequate for most clinical purposes. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adapting the MMPI for use in assessing late adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago

In this study, the original Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was modified slightly by rewording ten items to fit the vernacular of English employed by young men and women in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The response alternatives were extended to include a "don't understand" answer in addition to "true" and "false." To determine the effectiveness of the MMPI for use in this cultural setting, 202 male and 246 female high school students between the ages of 15 and 20 years were examined. Two clinical groups also were studied: 26 male and 32 female adolescents in psychiatric treatment, as well as 49 male and 14 female juvenile offenders incarcerated for various delinquent acts. The retest stability of the basic MMPI scores was evaluated by readministering the MMPI one week later to samples of normal males and females. Validity scale data indicated that these late adolescents were responding to the MMPI in ways comparable to normal and clinical groups in the United States. The results of this investigation support the use of the MMPI in the appraisal of emotional problems of adolescents seen in both the mental health and criminal justice systems in Trinidad and Tobago.     

Equivalence of the MMPI-2 with the MMPI in psychiatric patients.

Psychiatric patients were administered the MMPI, its revision (MMPI-2), or both, in a counterbalanced repeated-measures design. MMPI-2 T scores were found to be significantly lower than MMPI T scores on several of the clinical scales. S rank order on T scores and dispersion of the basic clinical scales did not differ between the tests, and measures of profile similarity indicated congruence between the 2 instruments. Among Ss who completed both the MMPI and the MMPI-2, code-type concordance was not significantly lower than stability rates of the tests. Results support the assignment of 65T as the lower boundary of clinical elevation on the MMPI-2 and the psychometric equivalence of the MMPI-2 and the MMPI with respect to mean T scores, score rankings, and measures of score distribution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Uniform versus linear T scores on the MMPI2/MMPI in an outpatient psychiatric sample: Differential contributions.

Hypothesized that the uniform T-score procedure was one possible source of observed differences between the MMPI-2 T scores and the MMPI T scores. MMPI-2 linear T scores were computed for a sample of 200 psychiatric outpatients (mean age 38.1 yrs) whose MMPI-2 and MMPI T scores had been determined at the same point in time. Differences created by the uniform technique were slight and did not exceed 1.2 T-score points. Contrary to hypothesis, the uniform T-score procedure reduced the differences between mean MMPI-2 T-scores and the MMPI T scores on 12 of the 16 scales. These data suggest that the differences between the MMPI and MMPI-2 T scores are mainly due to differences between the normative samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of linear and configural MMPI diagnostic methods with an uncontaminated criterion.

Suggests that previous studies of linear and configural MMPI diagnostic predictors have suffered from varying degrees of criterion contamination. Previous findings were replicated and extended with 572 male veterans, mean age 37.7 yrs, who were evaluated at the time of application for treatment with the Current and Past Psychopathology Scales. Ss were also administered the Shipley-Institute of Living Scale for Measuring Intellectual Impairment and were diagnostically classified without MMPI contamination. The Goldberg linear equations derived from MMPI group profiles achieved 84% accuracy in classifying group profiles and a 14% increment over base-rate accuracy in classifying individual profiles. The Goldberg linear equation and several configural methods for discriminating psychotics from neurotics were compared. The linear equation was found to be most accurate. Conflicting results in previous articles suggest that criterion contamination must be avoided in prediction studies. A possible use for the group profile classification equations in evaluating experimental studies is suggested. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A perspective on developments in assessing psychopathology: A critical review of the MMPI and MMPI-2.

Many concerns have been raised about the MMPI, but the emphasis on continuity during its revision precluded addressing many of these problems in the new MMPI-2. In this review, problems with the MMPI and MMPI-2 are explicated in an effort to promote more informed use of this and other tests of psychopathology. Major theoretical concerns include the lack of a consistent measurement model, heterogeneous scale content, and suspect diagnostic criteria. Serious structural problems include the overlap among scales, lack of cross-validation of the scoring keys, inadequacy of measures of response styles, and suspect norms. Six minor problems and new issues for the MMPI-2 are also discussed. It is concluded that although the MMPI-2 is an improvement over the MMPI, both are suboptimal from the perspective of modern psychometric standards for the assessment of psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross-validation of the Megargee MMPI typology for prisoners.

To cross-validate the E. I. Megargee and Dorhout (1977) and J. Meyer and Megargee (1977) MMPI typology for prisoners, one sample consisting of 2,063 male federal offenders and one sample consisting of 1,455 (164 females, 1291 males) state offenders were obtained. By use of a computer typing program, over 85% of these Ss were classified, and all of Megargee's 10 profile types were identified within each sample. Additional data collection and subsequent analyses revealed (a) significant age differences among the male state MMPI types; (b) significant differences in regard to the proportion of each type found within the male and female state offender samples; (c) significant differences among the federal MMPI types in terms of their current offenses; and (d) significant differences among the federal types in terms of the total number as well as the number of verbally aggressive and group-defiant rule infractions committed while incarcerated. It is concluded that the Megargee typology is a valid and generalizable system. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of differences between native and non-native psychiatric offenders on the MMPI.

Compared Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scores of 57 native and 218 non-native Canadian Prairie psychiatric offenders. All Ss were adult males. In uncontrolled comparisons, considerable cross-cultural profile similarity was observed. Separate native and non-native multiple regressions were performed, using the 13 MMPI scales as criterion variables with age, time served, education level, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Full Scale IQ, and Verbal Comprehension as the predictors. WAIS Full Scale IQ and education level were the strongest predictors of native and non-native MMPIs, respectively. When controlled MMPI comparisons were made using IQ and education as covariates, the previous differences were erased. With covariates, significantly lower native scores were found on Mf, Pa, and Si, while K was significantly higher. The lowered native profile was due primarily to the IQ covariate. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Frequency of MMPI two-point code types among sex offenders.

Two-point Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) codes were calculated for 403 convicted sex offenders, yielding 43 code types. The relative frequencies of codes were compared among rapists, child molesters, incest offenders, first offenders, and recidivists. Code frequencies were also compared with frequencies in previously reported studies of psychiatric patients and criminals. Sex offenders showed more 4–5 and 4–8 profiles than other prisoner groups. Rapists showed more profiles that are usually associated with assaultiveness. There were significant differences in code frequencies between incestuous biological fathers and stepfathers and between first offenders and recidivists. The heterogeneity of MMPI profiles precludes stereotypic generalizations about sex-offender characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic differences on the MMPI-2?

Ss were 75 African-American and 725 White men and 65 African-American and 743 White women who were part of the MMPI restandardization sample (J. N. Butcher et al, 1989). Mean differences on the MMPI-2 validity and clinical scales between ethnic groups were small for both genders; however, any difference could be because of the variation in demographics. When Ss were matched by age, education, and income, fewer MMPI-2 scale means differed. In a follow-up study, the accuracy of the MMPI-2 clinical scales in predicting partner ratings was calculated. The predictions, which were based on a regression equation, were not significantly different between the 2 ethnic groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2, posttraumatic stress disorder, and women domestic violence survivors.

When a professional psychologist examines a woman domestic violence survivor's MMPI-2 (J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. M. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989) profile, what unique signs will there be that she suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Existing empirical evidence and diagnostic decision rules for determining the presence of PTSD with the MMPI-2 cannot be applied to domestic violence survivors. The MMPI-2 was administered to 93 women domestic violence survivors. Results suggest that the MMPI-2 is sensitive to PTSD symptoms. Women domestic violence survivors with PTSD generate unique average MMPI-2 profiles. The Defensiveness (K) validity and 1 (Hypochondriasis [Hs]) scales may assist in discriminating between survivors with and without PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)