Wiggins Content Scales and the MMPI-2.

The omission of the Wiggins Content Scales occurred because of the number of items deleted as well as the addition of items to the MMPI-2. The purpose of this study is to compare scorings of the items on the Wiggins Scales of the MMPI and the items that remain on these scales on the MMPI-2. The scales of Religious Fundamentalism and Authority Conflict appear to be those most seriously affected by the item change on the MMPI-2. The scales Depression and Family Conflict maintained all of their items, and the remaining nine were not found to be statistically different when the two scorings were compared.     

MMPI-2 profiles of adult children of alcoholics

This study compared 69 adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) with 30 control college students on scales from the revised MMPI (MMPI-2). ACOA subjects could be differentialted from control subjects on several MMPI-2 scales and two-scale profiles, many of which differentiate alcoholic from nonalcoholic samples. However, the length of time the child had lived in the home with the alcoholic parent and the degree of impairment associated with alcohol abuse in the parent did not moderate these findings. In contrast, MMPI-2 scales that measure impulsive and antisocial behavior did differentiate ACOAs who drank at least once a week from ACOAs who did not report this level of drinking.     

MMPI-2 short form proposal: CAUTION.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) is widely used in neuropsychology, though its length (567 items) is sometimes prohibitive. This study investigated some psychometric characteristics of the 180-item version of the MMPI-2 () in order to delineate its strengths, limitations, and appropriate scope of clinical application. Limited reliability and poor predictive accuracy were recently reported for many of the MMPI-2 short-form scales in a study that used 205 brain-injured patients. In the present investigation, we used a psychiatric sample (N=186) with normal neurological findings to examine short-form accuracy in predicting basic scale scores, profile code types, identifying high-point scales, and classifying scores as pathological (T>/=65) or normal-range. The results suggest that, even as applied to neurologically normal individuals, the proposed short form of the MMPI-2 is unreliable for predicting clinical code types, identifying the high-point scale, or predicting the scores on most of the basic scales. In contrast, this short form can be used to predict whether the full-scale scores fall within the pathological range (T>/=65). These findings suggest that clinicians might be able to salvage a small amount of information from the shortened (180-item) version of the MMPI-2 when MMPI-2 protocols are incomplete. However, clinicians should not use a standard interpretive approach with this test, and routine clinical application is unwarranted. Future evaluations of short-form validity should provide a more detailed examination of individual protocols, including an analysis of the frequency of accurate prediction of full-form scores.     

Emotional correlates of fluency test and Maze performance

This study tested the hypothesis that depression, anxiety, and bizarre thought content, as measured by MMPI-2 scales, would show a negative relationship with performance on widely used measures of executive functioning. Subjects were 70 male psychiatric patients who were ostensibly free of any neurologic disease or history of substance abuse. Correlational analyses were performed between age and education-corrected scores on the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (FAS), Design Fluency, and WISC-R Mazes, and scores on MMPI-2 scales D, PT , Anxiety, Fears, Obsessional Thinking, Depression, and Bizarre Mentation. The findings suggest that fluency and maze performance is (1) largely independent of measures of depression (D, DEP) and bizarre mentation (BIZ); (2) mildly associated with a measure of generalized anxiety (ANX); and (3) strongly related to an MMPI-2 measure of fearfulness (FRS).     

Relating PACL measures of Millon's basic personality styles and MMPI-2 scales in patient and normal samples

Millon's basic personality styles as measured by the Personality Adjective Check List (PACL; Strack, 1987, 1991b) were linked to Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) basic scales via bivariate correlation and factor analysis in independent samples of psychiatric patients (N = 196) and normal adults (N = 124). Consistent with previous research, Millon's neurotic, introverted styles were positively associated with MMPI-2 scales measuring introversion, affective states, and disturbed thinking, whereas extroverted, socially dominant Millon styles were negatively associated to the same scales. Millon personalities and MMPI-2 scales were reliably associated along two bipolar dimensions measuring Neuroticism/Introversion versus Extroversion and Emotional Distress versus Emotional Stability, which accounted for 45% of the variance. A third General Distress factor loaded only MMPI-2 scales. Congruency coefficients indicated that the factors for patients and normal participants were very similar. Results highlighted the consistency of the links between MMPI-2 basic scales, the PACL, and other Millon instruments, as well as the utility of the PACL as a measure of Millon's personality styles in a mental health population.     

MMPI与MMPI-2对精神分裂症患者的一致性测试

目的:考察精神分裂症患者的MMPI与MMPI-2结果的一致性程度,以便为MMPI-2的使用者参考MMPI临床与研究经验提供更多的实证依据.方法:采用MMPI与MMPI-2复合问卷,对97名精神分裂症患者在临床量表上的测试结果进行统计分析.结果:单一量表分数的相关分析以及量表编码类型的符合率分析结果提示,尽管MMPI-2对临床量表项目内容作了一定的修改,但MMPI-2与MMPI对应临床量表分数仍具有很高的相关;另外,MMPI-2与MMPI间编码类型的总体符合率达到93.8%,其它多点编码符合率也都达到了美国人所报告的同类符合率水平,如两点编码符合率为62.9%,若给以限制性定义,则该符合率可达80.8%.结论:中文版MMPI-2的临床量表与MMPI具有较高的延续性,在精神分裂症患者群体的临床使用上具有一定的类推性.     

Criterion-related validity and stability: Equivalence of the MMPI and the MMPI-2

The differential criterion-related validity of the MMPI and MMPI-2 and their stability over a 4-month period of time were examined in a university population by correlating the clinical scales with their counterpart SCL-90-R factors. Fair to moderate correlations were found on all eight paired MMPI scales and SCL-90-R factors, while only two of eight MMPI-2/SCL-90-R pairings were found to be correlated significantly. Further analyses, however, found no significant differences between these MMPI/SCL-90-R and MMPI-2/SCL-90/R correlations. Adequate stability was found between MMPI-2 and SCL-90-R pairs over 4 months, except for the MMPI-2 D scale with SCL-90-R Depression factor. Several issues related to the equivalency between the MMPI and the MMPI-2 were discussed.     

Spirituality and the MMPI-2

The present investigation was an exploratory examination of the relation of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) Clinical scales to spirituality operationalized in terms of self-reported religious involvement and scores on a multidimensional measure called the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI; MacDonald, 1997, 2000). MANOVA and correlational results indicate that the MMPI-2 Clinical scales generate patterns of findings consistent with available research on spirituality and health. In particular, persons reporting involvement in organized religion obtained significantly lower MMPI-2 Clinical scale scores and were found to be less likely to obtain a clinically significant score (i.e., t-scores >64) on any of the MMPI-2 scales. Further, with the exception of Masculine-Feminine and Hypomania, all MMPI-2 scales were found to associate appreciably with ESI dimension scores. The study concludes with a brief discussion of the meaning and implications of the findings for future research aimed at investigating the relation of spirituality to health.     

A validity index for the MMPI-2.

There have been numerous methods developed for the detection of valid profiles on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-2. The current study examined a method of combining seven different validity scales of the MMPI-2 into a common weighted method in assessing malingering in chronic pain patients. The weighted method was able to correctly classify 100% of nonlitigants, using a cutoff score of > or =5. The findings of this study suggest that chronic pain patients in litigation produce a different profile on the MMPI-2 validity scales than do nonlitigants. In a group of knowledgeable actors (malingerers), 86% was correctly classified. The overall finding showed 100% specificity and 86% sensitivity. The findings support the need for multiple validity scales to be examined in determining a valid profile. The weighted validity scales method was robust enough to account for "emotional distress" and still identify invalid MMPI-2 performance.     

The MMPI-2 GM and GF scales as measures of psychological well-being

The MMPI-2, Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), and Tennessee Self-Concept Scales (TSCS) scores were analyzed for 117 male and 139 female college students. A median split on the MMPI-2 GM and GF scores by gender divided subjects into high and low groupings on the MMPI-2 gender variables. Multivariate analyses revealed that scores on the MMPI-2, TSCS, and SCL-90-R consistently differed by GM and GF status with differences most pronounced for the GM scale. Higher scores on the GM variable were associated with scores on the MMPI-2, TSCS, and SCL-90-R that reflected less psychopathology. Similar trends were noted for higher scorers on the GF variable, but fewer significant differences across the scales were found. The results are consistent with an interpretation of GM and GF as correlates of psychological wellbeing. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 53: 879–893     

The location of items of the Wiggins Content Scales on the MMPI-2.

The decision to exclude the Wiggins Content Scales from the MMPI-2 has hindered and, in many cases, may have prevented the ability to utilize the data collected over 25 years. There are questions with regard to the interpretation of some of the newer content scales of the MMPI-2, whereas most clinicians feel comfortably familiar, even if not entirely satisfied, with the Wiggins Content Scales of the MMPI. This report identifies the location and direction for scoring of items from the Wiggins Content Scales that appear on the MMPI-2. Preliminary data are presented and recommendations for utilizing these scales are offered.     

Clinical presentations in combat veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder

This article investigated subtypes of symptom patterns among male combat veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through a cluster analysis of their Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; Butcher, Graham, Ben-Porath, Tellegen, Dahlstrom, & Kaemmer, 2001) clinical and validity scales. Participants were 126 veterans seeking outpatient treatment for combat-related PTSD at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Two well-fitting MMPI-2 cluster solutions (a four-cluster solution and a three-cluster solution) were evaluated with several statistical methods. A four-cluster solution was determined to best fit the data. Follow-up analyses demonstrated between-cluster differences on MMPI-2 "fake bad" scales and content scales, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961), Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES; Bernstein & Putnam, 1986), Mississippi Combat PTSD scale (M-PTSD; Keane, Caddall, & Taylor, 1988), and Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-1; Blake et al., 1990). Clusters also were different in disability-seeking status, employment status, and income. Implications for research and clinical practice using the MMPI-2 with combat veterans presenting with PTSD are briefly addressed.     

Exaggerated MMPI-2 symptom report in personal injury litigants with malingered neurocognitive deficit.

Traditional MMPI-2 validity scales, the Lees-Haley Fake Bad Scale (FBS), and the Arbisi and Ben Porath Infrequency Psychopathology Scale (F(p)) were evaluated in 33 personal injury litigants who had failed forced-choice symptom validity testing and other measures of effort in patterns consistent with the Slick, Sherman, and Iverson (1999) criteria for definite and probable malingered neurocognitive deficit (MND). The FBS was more sensitive to symptom exaggeration than F, Fb, and F(p). The definite and probable MND litigants also produced mean elevations on MMPI-2 scales 1, 3 and 7 that were significantly higher than those produced by various clinical groups including non-litigating severe closed head injury, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, and depression. These data suggest that MMPI-2 profiles characteristic of malingered injury differ from those associated with malingered psychopathology.     

What's in a name? The MMPI-2 PTSD scales

The MMPI-2 post-traumatic stress disorder scales (PK and PS) were examined with a sample of 96 outpatient anxiety disorder and 97 outpatient traffic accident subjects. PK and PS correlated 0.96 and showed highly similar correlations with MMPI-2 validity, clinical, content and supplementary scales for both groups, which indicated that these scales are indices of MMPI first-factor variance. This was supported by separate principal components analyses for each group, in which PK and PS contributed the most variance to the first component. Although the groups showed different MMPI-2 mean profiles, neither PK nor PS contributed to discriminant function classification of group members. It is suggested that PK and PS are indices of general emotional distress and maladjustment; implications for their use in diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder were discussed.     

The relation between symptom validity testing and MMPI-2 scores as a function of forensic evaluation context.

The association between scores on MMPI-2 scales and cognitive symptom validity test (SVT) failure was investigated in 127 criminal defendants evaluated for competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and drug dependence, and 141 personal injury and disability claimants. Results indicated that SVT failure was associated with exaggerated symptom presentation involving somatic complaints in civil litigants and more global exaggeration of psychopathology and somatic complaints in criminal defendants. Scores on the MMPI-2 Fake Bad Scale (FBS) were associated with SVT failure in both civil and criminal litigants, whereas scores on the MMPI-2 F(P) scale were associated with SVT failure in criminal defendants, but not in civil plaintiffs. These results support the utility of the FBS as an indicator of non-credible presentation of somatic and cognitive complaints in both civil and criminal forensic psychological assessments, and indicate that the lack of association between the MMPI-2 infrequency scales and SVT failure is limited to civil forensic settings.     

Dimensional psychopathology of depression: detection of an 'activation' dimension in unipolar depressed outpatients

BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorders, most instruments currently available for the assessment of depression do not explore symptoms of 'activation' such as anger, irritability, aggressiveness, hostility, and psychomotor activation. METHODS: Two samples of adults with unipolar depression were studied. They had no comorbid DSM-IV disorder, and they were free from antidepressant drugs. The first sample (n = 380) was assessed with the SVARAD, a validated scale for the rapid assessment of the main psychopathological dimensions. The second sample (n = 143) was assessed with the MMPI-2. Factor analysis was performed on SVARAD items and MMPI-2 clinical scales. RESULTS: In both samples, we obtained a three-factor solution with factors interpreted as a depressive dimension, an anxious dimension, and an activation dimension. The latter dimension appeared to be clinically relevant in 20-27% of patients. LIMITATIONS: The presence of a comorbid disorder may have been missed in some cases. Also, some bipolar II patients might have been misdiagnosed as unipolar and included in the study. Further, our findings apply only to a selected psychiatric population, and it should be tested whether they generalize to other settings of care and other countries. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that depressive mixed states are not rare even in patients diagnosed as unipolar, and that some unipolar patients might actually be 'pseudounipolar' and belong to the bipolar spectrum. More in general, our findings suggest that some depressed patients have prominent symptoms of activation that can easily go unnoticed using instruments that do not explore such symptoms. Detecting these symptoms has important treatment implications.     

MMPI-2 profiles of women differing in sexual abuse history and sexual orientation

Four groups of women (N = 115) self-identified as having histories of childhood sexual abuse or no such histories and self-identified as either heterosexual or lesbian were compared using a questionnaire and the MMPI-2. Subjects ranged in age from 21–60 years with 60% between ages 30–50 years. Results of a Three-Way MANOVA for abuse history and sexual orientation repeated across MMPI-2 clinical scales showed a between-subjects effect for abuse, and within-subjects effects for orientation and abuse. T scores of women with abuse histories were significantly higher than those of women without abuse histories on Hs, D, Pd, Pa, Pt, Sc, and Ma scales of the MMPI-2. Profiles indicated an 8-4 codetype and a Scarlett O'Hara V configuration for the group with abuse history. Heterosexual women obtained significantly higher t scores than did lesbians on the Depression scale. Results show that the MMPI-2 can be used to help detect lesbian as well as heterosexual adults who were sexually molested as children. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 53: 791–800, 1997     

MMPI-2 profiles of NGRI and civil patients.

Limited information is available comparing individuals found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) to other psychiatric patients. This study examined the MMPI-2 profiles of 36 NGRIs and 35 civilly committed inpatients at 3 state psychiatric hospitals. The NGRI and civil patient groups differed in terms of race and gender with more minority individuals and fewer women in the NGRI group. Therefore, these demographic variables were used as covariates in a MANCOVA comparing the MMPI-2 validity and clinical scales for these 2 groups. NGRIs and civil inpatients produced significantly different mean MMPI-2 profiles, with NGRIs reporting less pathology overall compared to civil inpatients. Specifically, NGRIs had lower scores on scales F, 1, 2, 7, 8, and O and higher scores on scale K. Contrary to expectations, NGRIs and civil patients did not differ on scale 4, supplementary scale Re, and content scales ANG, CYN, and ASP, or Harris-Lingoes subscale Pd2. Overall, these results suggest that NGRI patients are functioning at a higher level than civil patients. These findings are considered in terms of previous results and potential selection bias. Implications for treatment and future research are also considered.     

A comparison of MMPI-2 and MMPI T-scores for men and women

The original MMPI linear T-score norms are compared with the new linear and uniform T-score norms for the MMPI-2 across basic validity and clinical scales for both men and women. The comparison indicated more pronounced normative changes for certain scales and somewhat more pronounced changes for men than for women. Relationships between MMPI-2 and MMPI T-scores across scales are complex; a few MMPI-2 scales show enhancement, others show attenuation across the full range of the scale, and other scales show attenuation in the middle and lower ranges of the scale with enhancement in the upper ranges. Possible implications and effects of the new MMPI-2 T-score norms on original MMPI scale high-point elevation and high-point codes are discussed.     

The MMPI/MMPI-2 personality disorder scales: Contemporary norms for adults and adolescents

Eleven personality disorder scales for the MMPI, as described in DSM-III, were derived by Morey and his colleagues from the original MMPI item pool through a combination of rational and empirical strategies. These new scales have enjoyed popularity among clinicians. Normative tables for each of these scales, with and without overlapping items, were constructed from MMPI responses from a large contemporary normal reference sample of adults and adolescents without any physical or mental handicaps who were selected randomly from a three-state area in the Midwest. Some items from the Morey Personality Disorder scales were deleted during development of the MMPI-2; separate normative tables have been prepared for the scales so affected, which allows clinicians who are using the MMPI-2 to continue to use these slightly modified scales.