Comparisons by sex of psychometric correlates of the MMPI-2 Depression Scale

Scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 were correlated to identify which measures predicted depression among 219 women and 115 men. Despite prevalence data indicating that dysphoria is more common among females than males, sex did not predict MMPI-2 Depression scores in this sample. Masculine Gender Role was negatively predictive of depression for both sexes. High scores on Feminine Gender Role were slightly predictive of depression among men but not among women. An effective strategy for coping with depression involves managing stress causing circumstances as opposed to managing the feelings that result from stress. Persons of either sex who score high on Masculine Gender Role endorse traits that are compatible with the better strategy.     

Use of the MMPI-2 in American Indians: I. Comparability of the MMPI-2 Between Two Tribes and With the MMPI-2 Normative Group.

The comparability of the MMPI-2 in American Indians with the MMPI-2 normative group was investigated in a sample of 535 Southwestern and 297 Plains American Indian tribal members with contrasting sociocultural and historical origins. Both American Indian tribal groups had clinically significant higher T scores (>5 T points) on 5 validity and clinical scales, 6 content scales, and 2 supplementary scales than did the MMPI-2 normative group. There were no significant differences between the 2 tribal groups on any of the MMPI-2 clinical, content, or supplementary scales. Matching members of both tribes with persons in the MMPI-2 normative group on the basis of age, gender, and education reduced the magnitude of the differences between the 2 groups on all of these scales, although the differences in T scores still exceeded 5 T points. It appears likely that the MMPI-2 differences of these 2 American Indian groups from the normative group may reflect their adverse historical, social, and economic conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computerized adaptive assessment with the MMPI-2 in a clinical setting.

Comparability, validity, and impact of loss of information of a computerized adaptive administration of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) were assessed in a sample of 140 Veterans Affairs hospital patients. The countdown method (J. N. Butcher et al, see record 1986-10763-001) was used to adaptively administer Scales L (Lie) and F (Frequency), the 10 clinical scales, and the 15 content scales. Participants completed the MMPI-2 twice, in 1 of 2 conditions: computerized conventional test–retest, or computerized conventional–computerized adaptive. Mean profiles and test–retest correlations across modalities were comparable. Correlations between MMPI-2 scales and criterion measures supported the validity of the countdown method, although some attenuation of validity was suggested for certain health-related items. Loss of information incurred with this mode of adaptive testing has minimal impact on test validity. Item and time savings were substantial. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI-2 random responding indices: Validation using a self-report methodology.

Investigated the validity of F, back F, and variable response inconsistency indices of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) for detection of self-reported partially random responding in several samples, including college students, community volunteers, and job applicants. Substantial numbers of Ss admitted to providing some random responses, with 29–60% of the various samples acknowledging an average of 12–38 random responses in their MMPI-2 answers. For all groups, with the expected exception of job applicants, the appropriate MMPI-2 validity indices were reliably and positively correlated with self-estimates of random responses. Available data suggested that random responding occurred most commonly toward the end of the test, although significant numbers indicated that they had scattered their random responses throughout the test. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ringing in the new: The MMPI-2.

In a timely paper entitled "The Research Base, Psychometric Properties and Clinical Uses of the MMPI-2," Butcher and Pope guide test users and researchers toward an understanding of the updated MMPI by summarizing its key features. A central reason for revising the MMPI, according to Butcher and Pope, was the need to edit specific items for ambiguity, complexity, and outmoded or sexist wording. At the same time, the MMPI revision committee committed itself to a "conservative" revision with the goal of keeping the basic scales relatively intact. The authors attribute the adoption of a conservative strategy to a desire to ensure the continued relevance of the vast MMPI research base. They could have argued further that the success of the original MMPI attests to the clinical usefulness and heuristic value of the basic scales. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation of the MMPI-2 Computerized Adaptive version (MMPI-2-CA) in a correctional intake facility.

Computerized adaptive testing in personality assessment can improve efficiency by significantly reducing the number of items administered to answer an assessment question. The time savings afforded by this technique could be of particular benefit in settings where large numbers of psychological screenings are conducted, such as correctional facilities. In the current study, item and time savings, as well as the test–retest and extratest correlations associated with an audio augmented administration of all the scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-2 Computerized Adaptive (MMPI-2-CA) are reported. Participants include 366 men, ages 18 to 62 years (M = 33.04, SD = 10.40), undergoing intake into a large Midwestern state correctional facility. Results of the current study indicate considerable item and corresponding time savings for the MMPI-2-CA compared to conventional administration of the test, as well as comparability in terms of test–retest and correlations with external measures. Future directions of adaptive personality testing are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI-2 response styles: Generalization to alcoholism assessment.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 (MMPI—2) Validity scales (L, F, and K) were used to identify subgroups of inpatients seeking treatment for alcoholism and to determine the extent that assessed test-taking attitude could be generalized to other alcoholism assessment instruments. Cluster analysis of the inpatients receiving treatment for alcoholism identified 3 distinct response style subgroups: defensive, straightforward, and exaggerated. These patterns were confirmed in a 2nd sample. Calibration equations were generated and used to classify a subsequent sample into subgroups, and expected differences were found across the subgroups on the Alcohol Use Inventory (J. L. Horn, K. W. Wanberg, & F. M. Foster, 1987) and the Inventory of Drinking Situations (H. M. Annis, 1982). These preliminary results suggest that MMPI—2 response style is associated with response to other alcohol abuse assessment instruments. Future research examining the relationship between test-taking attitude and treatment involvement and outcome is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlates of the MMPI-2-RF in a college setting.

The current study examined empirical correlates of scores on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2–Restructured Form (MMPI–2–RF; A. Tellegen & Y. S. Ben-Porath, 2008; Y. S. Ben-Porath & A. Tellegen, 2008) scales in a college setting. The MMPI–2–RF and six criterion measures (assessing anger, assertiveness, sex roles, cognitive failures, social avoidance, and social fear) were administered to 846 college students (nmen = 264, nwomen = 582) to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of scores on the MMPI–2–RF Specific Problems and Interest scales. Results demonstrated evidence of generally good convergent score validity for the selected MMPI–2–RF scales, reflected in large effect size correlations with criterion measure scores. Further, MMPI–2–RF scale scores demonstrated adequate discriminant validity, reflected in relatively low comparative median correlations between scores on MMPI–2–RF substantive scale sets and criterion measures. Limitations and future directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Further validation of the MMPI-2 and MMPI-2-RF Response Bias Scale: Findings from disability and criminal forensic settings.

The present study extends the validation of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) Response Bias Scale (RBS; R. O. Gervais, Y. S. Ben-Porath, D. B. Wygant, & P. Green, 2007) in separate forensic samples composed of disability claimants and criminal defendants. Using cognitive symptom validity tests as response bias indicators, the RBS exhibited large effect sizes (Cohen's ds = 1.24 and 1.48) in detecting cognitive response bias in the disability and criminal forensic samples, respectively. The scale also added incremental prediction to the traditional MMPI-2 and the MMPI-2-RF overreporting validity scales in the disability sample and exhibited excellent specificity with acceptable sensitivity at cutoffs ranging from 90T to 120T. The results of this study indicate that the RBS can add uniquely to the existing MMPI-2 and MMPI-2-RF validity scales in detecting symptom exaggeration associated with cognitive response bias. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI-2 profiles of adult women with child sexual abuse histories: Cluster-analytic findings.

This study used a cluster analysis to examine the clinical profiles of female survivors of child sexual abuse. Eighty-five participants who presented for group therapy to deal specifically with issues related to sexual abuse completed the revised version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989) as part of an extensive assessment procedure. The cluster-analytic procedure used in this study allowed 5 subgroups within the population to emerge, supporting the idea that women who report having been sexually abused as children are not a homogeneous group. Additional analyses indicated differences on the basis of cluster membership on the MMPI-2 content scales, as well as other measures of psychological distress. The treatment implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Underreporting of psychopathology on the MMPI-2: A meta-analytic review.

Meta-analytic techniques were applied to studies of the MMPI-2 in which participants given standard instructions were compared with participants instructed or believed to have been underreporting. Traditional and supplementary indices of underreporting yielded a mean effect size of 1.25, suggesting that underreporting respondents differ from those responding honestly by a little more than 1 standard deviation, on the average, on these scales. Analyses of classification accuracy suggested that several scales are moderately effective in detecting underreporting, although accuracy decreases if participants have been coached about validity scales. Base rates of defensive responding in relevant populations are reviewed, and methodological issues, including research designs, coaching, and incremental validity of supplementary underreporting scales, are discussed. (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)     

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)     

Test-retest stability of injured workers' MMPI-2 profiles.

94 workers completed the (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2) MMPI-2 on 2 separate occasions, with an average lag of 21.3 months (SD?=?14.1, range--2-75), within the context of a psychological assessment after suffering an injury due to crime or accident. MMPI-2 profiles were moderately consistent, with correlation coefficients ranging from .61 to .73 for clinical scales, from .52 to .80 for supplementary scales, from .65 to .78 for content scales, and from .32 to .73 for the Personality Psychopathology Five scales (A. R. Harkness et al, 1995). The results suggest that the MMPI 2 provides consistent and stable results across time in injured workers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI and MMPI-2 performance of the Chinese: Cross-cultural applicability.

Psychologists are being increasingly asked to evaluate culturally diverse individuals, and it is critical that assessment instruments be appropriately adapted to the populations being evaluated. Chinese Americans have been underrepresented in the normative samples of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI; S. R. Hathaway & J. C. McKinley, 1983) and the revised MMPI (MMPI-2; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegan, & B. Kaemmer, 1989), and research with exclusive Chinese samples in the United States is lacking. Adaptability studies of the Chinese MMPI in Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China, however, have demonstrated the instrument's clinical utility. In this article, MMPI and MMPI-2 studies with Chinese are reviewed. Implications of the instrument's applicability to Chinese in the United States are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of the MMPI-2 With Asian Populations.

Psychological tests developed in the United States are being widely adapted into other languages and cultures around the world. This article examines the generalizability and utility of personality assessment instruments across cultures and addresses methodological issues related to using personality questionnaires in countries different from the one in which they were developed. This article specifically highlights the application of objective psychological tests in Asia with special emphasis on the most widely used and internationally adapted personality instrument, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Effective strategies for translating, adapting, and standardizing questionnaires in languages and cultures different from their country of origin are reviewed. The history of several successful adaptations of the original MMPI and MMPI-2 is surveyed to illustrate the extensive research base for the test in Asia. Current research is summarized, and recommendations for future research are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of the MMPI-2 in American Indians: II. Empirical Correlates.

R. W. Robin, R. L. Greene, B. Albaugh, A. Caldwell, and D. Goldman (2003; see record 2003-08831-014) reported that members of 2 American Indian tribal groups had statistically significant higher T scores on several MMPI-2 clinical,content, and supplementary scales than did the MMPI-2 normative group. The present study investigated the empirical correlates of the MMPI-2 scales in these American Indian tribal members. There were a large number of significant correlates reflecting antisocial symptoms with Scales 4 (Psychopathic Deviate), 9 (Hypomania), Anger, and Antisocial Practices. There were even a larger number of significant correlates reflecting generalized distress and negative affect with Scales 7 (Psychosthenia), 8 (Schizophrenia), Anxiety, Obsessions, Depression, and Welsh Anxiety. The rationally derived MMPI-2 content scales generally had larger correlations with these constructs than the clinical scales. Thus, the differences reported by R. W. Robin et al. (2003), appear to reflect behaviors and symptoms that American Indians participants were experiencing rather than test bias. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detection of overreported psychopathology with the MMPI-2 RF form validity scales.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 23(1) of Psychological Assessment (see record 2011-01446-001). There was an error in the title. The title should have read “Detection of Overreported Psychopathology With the MMPI-2-RF Validity Scales.”] [Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Psychological Assessment (see record 2011-01446-001). There was an error in the title. The title should have read “Detection of Overreported Psychopathology With the MMPI-2-RF Validity Scales.”] We examined the utility of the validity scales on the recently released Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2 RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008) to detect overreported psychopathology. This set of validity scales includes a newly developed scale and revised versions of the original MMPI-2 validity scales. We used an analogue, experimental simulation in which MMPI-2 RF responses (derived from archived MMPI-2 protocols) of undergraduate students instructed to overreport psychopathology (in either a coached or noncoached condition) were compared with those of psychiatric inpatients who completed the MMPI-2 under standardized instructions. The MMPI-2 RF validity scale Infrequent Psychopathology Responses best differentiated the simulation groups from the sample of patients, regardless of experimental condition. No other validity scale added consistent incremental predictive utility to Infrequent Psychopathology Responses in distinguishing the simulation groups from the sample of patients. Classification accuracy statistics confirmed the recommended cut scores in the MMPI-2 RF manual (Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computerized adaptive personality testing: A review and illustration with the MMPI-2 computerized adaptive version.

Computerized adaptive testing in personality assessment can improve efficiency by significantly reducing the number of items administered to answer an assessment question. Two approaches have been explored for adaptive testing in computerized personality assessment: item response theory and the countdown method. In this article, the authors review the literature on each and report the results of an investigation designed to explore the utility, in terms of item and time savings, and validity, in terms of correlations with external criterion measures, of an expanded countdown method-based research version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), the MMPI-2 Computerized Adaptive Version (MMPI-2-CA). Participants were 433 undergraduate college students (170 men and 263 women). Results indicated considerable item savings and corresponding time savings for the adaptive testing modalities compared with a conventional computerized MMPI-2 administration. Furthermore, computerized adaptive administration yielded comparable results to computerized conventional administration of the MMPI-2 in terms of both test scores and their validity. Future directions for computerized adaptive personality testing are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)