MMPI clinical and content norms for a mixed psychiatric adolescent population

Preliminary validation of the MMPI-A for a male delinquent sample: an investigation of clinical correlates and discriminant validity

Adolescent psychopathology, until recently, has been a largely neglected area of research and poses unique challenges for psychological assessments. In response to the specific need for adolescent-focused measures, the MMPI-A (Butcher et al., 1992) was among several measures to be developed. Although a sizeable literature exists on the original MMPI (Hathaway & McKinley, 1943) and adolescent populations, relatively few empirical studies have been published on the MMPI-A. The primary purpose of this study was the examination of clinical correlates for the MMPI-A for a male delinquent sample. MMPI-A protocols were collected from 99 adolescents at a North Texas juvenile correctional facility, and systematic comparisons were conducted between the Basic Scales and symptoms/diagnoses derived from the Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS-III-R; Ambrosini, Metz, Prabucki, & Lee, 1989). Using only K-SADS-III-R symptoms with high reliabilities (rs > .80), a comprehensive list of correlates was generated for the Clinical, Supplementary, and Content Scales. Additionally, stepwise discriminant functions successfully classified MMPI-A protocols according to K-SADS-III-R diagnoses. As an exploratory analysis, ethnic differences on MMPI-A profiles were also investigated, revealing significant differences among groups.

The aging MMPI: contemporary norms for contemporary teenagers

In 1937, research was initiated to develop a questionnaire that would aid physicians in evaluating the psychologic functioning of patients. The questionnaire quickly proved to be useful and became, as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the most widely used and thoroughly researched objective personality-assessment instrument. In 1959, the first computerized scoring and interpretative system for the MMPI was developed at the Mayo Clinic. During the 50 years that the MMPI has been used, however, our society has changed considerably. Therefore, a new normal contemporary reference sample of adults was obtained by Mayo Clinic investigators in 1983. Significant changes in response patterns were observed in comparison with the original norms, and new tables, based on normalized T scores rather than the linear transformation procedures of the past, were developed; these were incorporated into the Mayo Clinic MMPI scoring and interpretative system in 1984. Subsequently, a companion study of contemporary normal adolescents (691 girls and 624 boys) also showed significant changes in response patterns in comparison with the original norms. In addition, MMPI profiles from contemporary normal adolescents continue to differ from those of contemporary normal adults, similar to the differences noted between these two groups in the past. Data from these contemporary normal adolescents were used to develop new adolescent norms, which were incorporated into the Mayo Clinic scoring and interpretative system for the MMPI in January 1988.

Age differences in MMPI scale scores from 1,189 psychiatric patients

Investigated age-related differences in MMPI scale scores from 1,189 individuals (ages 20 to 64 years) who were applying for psychiatric treatment. All major scales except L, K, D, and SI showed statistically significant age group differences. In general, older patients had higher scores on HS and HY, while younger patients had higher scores on F, PD, PA, PT, SC, MA. These results underscore the importance of the age of the patient in the clinical interpretation of an individual protocol.