Using the MMPI-2 to detect substance abuse in an outpatient mental health setting.

Abstract

This study examined the utility of the MMPI-2 in detecting substance-abuse problems in an outpatient mental health setting. Specifically, the utility of the Addiction Acknowledgment Scale (AAS; N. C. Weed, J. N. Butcher, T. McKenna, & Y. S. Ben-Porath, 1992), the Addiction Potential Scale (APS; N. C. Weed et al., 1992), and the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale-Revised (MAC-R; J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegan, & B. Kaemmer, 1989) in the prediction of substance abuse was evaluated. In addition, the incremental validity of the AAS and the APS in comparison to the MAC-R scale was evaluated. The sample consisted of 500 women and 333 men from a large community mental health center in Northeastem Ohio. Results indicated that the MAC-R scale, the AAS, and the APS were related to interviewer ratings of substance abuse in this outpatient treatment setting. Specifically, the results pointed to the superiority of AAS over APS in substance-abuse identification and the significant contribution of AAS to the information available from the MAC-R scale alone.