MMPI-2 indices of psychological disturbance and attention and memory test performance in head injury

Abstract

A number of studies have investigated the relationship between psychological disturbance and neuropsychological (NP) test performance. The current study is a replication and extension of Gass (1996) who found that MMPI-2 indices of psychological disturbance are related to performance on NP tests of attention and memory in psychiatric and head-injured patients. In a large sample (N=381) referred for evaluation after sustaining presumed head injury, we examined the relationship between MMPI-2 indices of psychological disturbance and measures of attention and memory from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R; Wechsler, 1987), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R; Wechsler, 1981), California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT; Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, & Ober, 1987), and the Memory Assessment Scales (MAS; Williams, 1991). Although related to other domains, MMPI-2 variables were most consistently related to measures of attention and List Learning. Even when demographic variables, injury severity, and litigation status were controlled, MMPI-2 indices significantly predicted performance on six out of eight tests. However, the correspondence between similar indices on the WMS-R and MAS were relatively low, especially for Verbal Memory and Visual Reproduction. Further, litigation was significant in predicting only 2 of 8 attention and memory indices.