Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent Research Articles

Multiphasic Personality Assessment in a Case Series of Adolescent Patients with Suicidal Ideation and/or Attempts.

Suicide is an important public health issue. To examine the differences in personality characteristics between a group of adolescents with suicidal ideation (SI) and a group with a history of suicidal attempts (SA), we conducted a cross-sectional study. We enrolled 55 adolescents (51 females; 12-18 y.o.) who presented SI and/or SA. Using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, we divided the sample into two groups: adolescents with SI and adolescents with SA. All participants filled in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A). Adolescents in the SA group had greater difficulties in social relations, risky behaviors, and more intense suicidal ideation compared to those in the SI group. Adolescents in the SA group scored higher in Omission, in the Lie Scale, the Conduct Problem Scale, the Less Aspirations Scale, the Repression Scale in the MMPI-A, and item 283 of the MAST compared to the other group. The results suggest that using the MMPI-A to assess certain features (e.g., tendency to lie, repression) may be helpful in identifying young people who are at high risk of suicide. However, further research is required to determine the effectiveness of using this instrument.

Clinical Utility of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent Restructured Form in the Assessment of Internalizing and Externalizing Disorders in Adolescents: A Preliminary Approach.

This study investigated whether the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent Restructured Form (MMPI-ARF) can differentiate between two groups of adolescents, one diagnosed with internalizing disorders and another with externalizing disorders, and examined the clinical utility of the MMPI-A-RF by examining which subscales can significantly discriminate between these two groups. A total of 105 adolescents aged 13-18 years completed the MMPI-A-RF (53 internalizing disorder and 52 externalizing disorder groups). Independent t-test, chi-square test (χ2), and discriminant analysis were used to examine whether MMPI-A-RF can distinguish between the two groups. Sixteen MMPI-A-RF scales best predicted differences between the groups with internalizing and externalizing disorders. Fourteen scales (Higher-Order Scale [Emotional/Internalizing Dysfunction], Restructured Clinical [RC] Scale [RC demoralization, Somatic Complaints (RC1), and Low Positive Emotions (RC2)], Personality Psychopathology Five Scale [Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality- Revised, Negative Emotionality/Neuroticism-Revised], Somatic/Cognitive Scale [Malaise, Head Pain Complaints, and Gastrointestinal Complaints], Internalizing Scale [Stress/Worry, Self-Doubt], Externalizing Scale [Negative School Attitudes], Interpersonal Scale [Social Avoidance, Shyness]) were associated with the internalizing disorder group, whereas two scales (Externalizing Scale [Conduct Problems, Negative Peer Influence]) were associated with the externalizing disorder group. The MMPI-A-RF can be an efficient assessment tool for a quick diagnosis as it can classify individuals with internalizing and externalizing disorders in clinical settings that lack a variety of assessment tools for children and adolescents.

School Refusal in Adolescence: Personality Traits and Their Influence on Treatment Outcome

There has been little attention to personality in research on school refusal (SR). This study examined personality traits among 41 adolescents receiving cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) during participation in a School Refusal Program. Traits were examined via clinical scales and 2-point code types derived from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—Adolescent. The influence of personality traits on treatment outcome was examined at post-treatment and 1-year follow-up. At pretreatment, eight of the 10 clinical scales were disproportionately skewed toward the “high to very high” range relative to a norm group. Social introversion and depressive symptomatology were significantly increased relative to the norm group, and nearly one-half of the adolescents were characterized by code type 2-3/3-2 (depression/hysteria) or 2-0/0-2 (depression/social introversion). Adolescents characterized by a 2-0/0-2 code type were almost twice as likely (odds ratio = 1.78) to be treatment responders at post-treatment. There was no relation between personality traits and treatment outcome at follow-up. The small sample size limits generalization of the study’s findings. If the results are replicated, personality traits may provide useful indications for personalizing treatment when employing interventions recommended in CBT manuals for SR.

Manifestations of Child Sexual Abuse in Adolescence

The psychological impact of child sexual abuse extends to cognitive and personality development. There have been many studies of the effects of childhood sexual on adults, but much less research has measured the proximal consequences of sexual abuse in adolescents. This study investigated associations between the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) score elevations, IQ scores, and academic achievements in sexual abuse victims.

Evaluation of the Executive Functioning and Psychological Adjustment of Child-to-Parent Offenders: Epidemiology and Quantification of Harm.

With the aim of ascertaining if child-to-parent offenders have impairments in the executive functions and psychological maladjustment, and to quantify the potential harm and epidemiology, a field study was designed. As for this, 76 juvenile offenders sentenced for child-to-parent violence were assessed in executive functions (Stroop tasks) and psychological adjustment (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent, MMPI-A). The results showed valid responses for 75 juveniles and that data were not generally biased in line with defensiveness or malingering (differential diagnosis in justice juvenile evaluations). In psychological adjustment, the results revealed a significantly higher maladjustment among offenders on all the basic clinical scales with 23% more symptoms of hysteria than the normative population, 37% more of depressive symptoms, 44% more of hypochondriac symptoms, 68% more of psychopathic deviation symptoms, 46% more of paranoid symptoms, 26% more of psychasthenic symptoms, 24% more symptoms of schizophrenia, 17% more symptoms of hypomania, and 13% more symptoms of social introversion. Epidemiologically, the prevalence rates of clinical deterioration were significantly greater than expected (0.05 in normative sample) in hypochondria (28.0%), depression (29.3%), hysteria (29.3%), psychopathic deviation (60%), paranoia (30.7%), psychasthenia (22.7%), and schizophrenia (25.3%). As for the cognitive functions, the offenders exhibited impairments estimated at 62.0% in word reading, 47.9% in color naming, 45.8% in color-word, and 11.9% in interference and a significantly higher prevalence of caseness than expected in word reading (65%), color naming (71%), and color-word (70.2%). The implications of the results for intervention are discussed.

Efficacy of the MMPI-A in detecting trauma among delinquent youth: cross-validation of the Trauma Scale for Juvenile Offenders (TSJO)

ABSTRACTThe Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory – Adolescent (MMPI-A) is a widely researched personality assessment in psychology. However, the utility of the MMPI-A for detecting trauma among juvenile offenders is limited. A 17-item measure – Trauma Scale for Juvenile Offenders (TSJO) was examined to evaluate the trauma detection accuracy of the MMPI-A among juvenile offenders and provide preliminary validation for the TSJO. To determine the diagnostic utility of MMPI-A clinical scales, mean comparisons were conducted and significant scales were retained in a hierarchical logistic regression. To examine the diagnostic accuracy of the TSJO, the total score was included in the hierarchical model. TSJO cross tabulations were computed for the cutoff score. Mean comparisons by trauma group revealed Pa, Pt, Sc, and Si clinical scale differences. Regression output indicated statistical accuracy, but with limited clinical utility. Results showed moderate trauma detection accuracy (63.4%) of the TSJO cutoff. Findings provide limited support for using MMPI-A clinical scales in isolation when evaluating juvenile offenders for trauma. However, results provide empirical support for the TSJO as a valid measure for detecting trauma for this population.

Validation of the MMPI-A-RF for Youth with Mental Health Needs: a Systematic Examination of Clinical Correlates and Construct Validity

Over the last several decades, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) has continued to be the most extensively studied and commonly used adolescent assessment measure (Archer and Newsom 2000). Most recently, the MMPI-A was substantially revised resulting in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent-Restructured Form (MMPI-A-RF; Archer et al. 2016). The current study evaluated its construct validity in a sample of youth referred for mental health services. As a primary focus, the current research represents the first independent investigation of clinical correlates since the MMPI-A-RF test manual was published. This study particularly emphasized item-level symptom correlates that may further strengthen MMPI-A-RF interpretive statements. In particular, the RCd and RC4 evidenced especially strong convergent and discriminant validity, but findings raised some concerns about RC9. Combined with previous research, the current study highlighted the MMPI-A-RF’s usefulness in assessing psychopathology along the broad externalizing and internalizing spectrum.

Predicting psychiatric symptoms by personality types for gifted students

ABSTRACT This study examined if personality types of gifted students predicted their psychiatric symptoms and if the type of giftedness and gender moderated the relationship between the personality and psychiatric manifestations. The Murphy-Meisgeir Type Indicator for Children and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent were used to measure the personality types and psychiatric symptoms of 232 gifted middle-school students in South Korea. Results found that introversion predicted all of the symptoms but hypomania. Intuition predicted the symptoms of psychopathic deviance and schizophrenia and feeling predicted those of depression and conversion hysteria. Other predictive relationships were found between perceiving and hypomania and between judging and depression and social introversion. Creatively gifted students with introverted and intuitive personality types exhibited several symptoms than were academically gifted students of the same personality. Regarding gender, introverted males were more vulnerable to psychiatric symptoms compared to introverted females, and perceptive females had a higher chance to show hypomania than perceptive males. This study supported that personality characteristics partly accounted for the indications of psychological distress among gifted students. Further studies need to examine causal relationships between the two and to corroborate the current results involving adolescents.

Life events, coping styles, and psychological well‐being in children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol

Children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol might experience more life events, in particular negative, than children living with parents who do not harmfully consume alcohol. They also primarily use less adaptive coping styles and often demonstrate lower resilience. No studies evaluated whether coping styles or psychological well-being might influence the risk of life events occurrence in children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol. Forty-five children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol and 45 children living with parents who do not harmfully consume alcohol, matched for sex and age, were assessed via the Appendix Life Events of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, and the Psychological Well-Being scales. Children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol had more life events in the 6-month period before the assessment, mostly negative and neutral, and lower levels of psychological well-being than children living with parents who do not harmfully consume alcohol. The risk of having experienced at least one negative or neutral life event was higher in children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol than in their peers and in those with lower psychological well-being. The risk of having had a positive life event was not related to parents' consumption of alcohol but to avoidant coping and low self-acceptance behaviours. Children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol need interventions aimed at improving psychological well-being to protect them from life events, especially from negative ones.

Internet Addiction Disorder: Personality characteristics and risk of pathological overuse in adolescents

AimFew studies have investigated Internet Addiction (IA) in adolescents in relation to personality characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine whether personality differences exist between adolescents with problematic/pathological Internet use and those with normal Internet use. Our hypothesis was that certain psychopathological personality traits may predispose to the development of maladaptive Internet use. MethodsThe Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) were administered to a sample of 224 high school students. ResultsAnalysis of IAT scores showed that 24.6% of the students had problematic Internet use and 1.6% had IA. Comparison of the MMPI-A scores between subjects with normal Internet use and those with problematic or pathological use based on the IAT score showed that some subscales, including schizophrenia and bizarre mentation, were strongly associated with problematic/pathological Internet use. Also, male sex, attending a vocational school, and unhappy childhood were found to be risk factors for IA. ConclusionsCertain psychological dimensions regarding mood and the psychotic area, as well as low self-esteem, family, school and conduct problems could represent risk factors. Taken together, our data suggest a personality profile, with problems at various levels in subjects with problematic or pathological Internet use.

Juvenile sex offenders: Personality profile, coping styles and parental care

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in juvenile sex offenders showing that this population is highly heterogeneous. The aim of the present study was to identify possible different profiles that could help understand the motivation behind offending, comparing 31 Juvenile Sexual Offenders (JSOs), 31 Juvenile Sexual Non Offenders (JSNOs) and 31 Juvenile Non Offenders (Control Group). A data collection form, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) or Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and the Parental Bonding Inventory (PBI) were administered to all participants. The results show that JSOs differs from JNSOs in some domains, such as living in single-parent homes, while maintain some common aspects such as academic failure and previous sexual intercourse. Moreover, JNSOs showed more abnormal personality traits, such as Authority Problems, MacAndrew Alcoholism, Acknowledgement and Alcohol–Drug Problem Proneness compared to JSOs and the Control Group, while JSOs and JNSOs use a coping strategy more oriented to Avoidance and Distraction compared to the Control group. Finally, JSOs described the relationships with fathers characterized by higher care and protection than JNSOs. These findings provide additional evidence with respect the prevention and treatment of criminal sexual behavior in adolescent.

Personalidade e comportamentos problema: um estudo comparativo com adolescentes em contexto escolar

Neste estudo transversal analisamos a relacao entre os comportamentos problema ao nivel da indisciplina, desrespeito e conflituosidade dos adolescentes, em contexto escolar, e a personalidade e a psicopatologia, operacionalizadas nas dimensoes PSY-5 do MMPI-A. Participaram no estudo 351 estudantes do 9o ao 12o ano, com idades compreendidas entre os 14 e os 18 anos, distribuidos em tres grupos diferentes, de acordo com o reporte da frequencia de comportamentos problema. Os instrumentos foram a versao experimental portuguesa do MMPI-A e um questionario sobre diferentes dimensoes do percurso escolar, em que se incluem os comportamentos problema. Atraves de analise estatistica multivariada, verificamos diferencas significativas entre os grupos nas dimensoes PSY-5, num padrao em que o grupo de maior frequencia de comportamentos problema apresenta resultados superiores no MMPI-A. Os resultados sao interpretados numa perspetiva que sublinha a relevância da personalidade na adaptacao a vida escolar, bem como a importância da existencia de tecnicas de avaliacao psicologica de forma a detetar, em contexto de normalidade, estudantes em risco de desenvolvimento de trajetorias inadaptativas.

The Relationship between Structural Dimensions of Personality and School Life in Adolescence

In this cross-sectional study, we analyse the relationship between personality, which was operationalized in the PSY-5 dimensions of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) and the way students live their lives at school, expressed through indicators of achievement, integration, and overall satisfaction. A total of 351 students, aged 14-18 years, participated in the study. The instruments were the Portuguese version of the MMPI-A and the School Life Questionnaire. Results show a pattern of significant relationships between personality traits and school life, being Disconstraint and Introversion the personality dimensions that stood out mostly in the explanation of school life variables results. Results are analysed considering the importance of personality for the development of more or less adaptive pathways in adolescence.

Effective cutoffs for detecting random, partially random, and nonrandom 350-item MMPI–-A short form protocols.

The ability of the 350-item short form Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A; Butcher et al., 1992) validity scales to detect random protocols was investigated using samples of 250 nonrandom protocols, 250 half-random protocols, and 250 all-random protocols. As the manual warns, long form cutoffs of the Variable Response Inconsistency scale (VRIN) of 75T and the Infrequency scale (F) of 90T were ineffective in detecting random protocols. Alternative cutoffs for F₁ and the truncated VRIN and F scales were investigated. Short form subscales of VRIN and F were developed to improve detection of partially random protocols. An algorithm using alternative cutoffs for the scales and the new subscales was quite effective, detecting 95% of the all-random protocols, 87% of the half-random protocols, and 98% of the nonrandom protocols. A follow-up cross-validation study was conducted that confirmed the effectiveness of the algorithm.

Using the MMPI-A in identifying trauma symptoms among juvenile offenders

A significant number of youths involved in the juvenile justice system have experienced childhood maltreatment and/or grief and loss. The mental health consequences of such events may have contributed to the development of the mental health and behavioral problems that resulted in juvenile court involvement. As such, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A), the most commonly used assessment measure among forensic psychologists working with this population, should be evaluated for its utility in identifying youths whose mental health and behavioral problems may be related to such traumatic events. This study aimed to determine if adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system that experienced childhood maltreatment and/or grief and loss have demonstrated consistent differences in item-level responses on the MMPI-A compared to those who did not endorse experiencing such traumatic events. Additionally, the study sought to evaluate whether identified items could be used in a scale that alerts the clinician to the likelihood of a history of trauma exposure, specifically childhood maltreatment and/or grief and loss. Results suggest that juvenile offenders with a history of trauma exposure do respond differently on particular MMPI-A items compared to those without such a history. The results also suggest that it may be possible to develop a scale that aids in differentiating between the juvenile offenders who endorse a history of childhood maltreatment and/or grief and loss and those who deny such experiences. The potential scale developed in this study can be utilized in settings where the MMPI-A is administered with juvenile offenders to alert clinicians to the possibility of a history of trauma, specifically childhood maltreatment and/or grief and loss.

Assessing the relationship between therapeutic goal attainment and psychosocial characteristics for adolescents in crisis residence

Background: Adolescents in need of hospitalization often present with chronic and severe forms of psychopathology, placing the adolescent or someone else in danger. Extant research is limited related to the relationship of client symptoms and diagnoses to therapeutic goal attainment.Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between therapeutic goal attainment to symptomatology for adolescents in acute care psychiatric hospitalization.Method: Four canonical correlations were conducted utilizing the set of subscales for the Goal Attainment Scale of Stabilization (GASS) with each set of subscales for the (a) Suicide Probability Scale (SPS), (b) Target Symptom Rating (TSR), (c) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A), and (d) Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI).Results: A statistically significant relationship was found between GASS subscales and the TSR subscales. The first canonical root was significant, λ = 0.89, F(4, 232) = 3.55, p = 0.008, accounting for 11% (rc = 0.33) of the overlapping variance.Conclusions: Psychiatric symptoms appear to contribute to therapeutic goal attainment. For counselors working with adolescents in crisis residence, familiarity with client issues that promote or inhibit therapeutic progress may be helpful.

Comment on Merydith and Phelps (2009): “Convergent Validity of the MMPI–A and MACI Scales of Depression”

In 2009, Merydith and Phelps reported convergent validity of scales in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) and the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) that assess depression with a sample of adolescent psychiatric inpatients. This comment addresses analysis of these data, cites selected research on sex and the two inventories, and restates the recommendation that researchers routinely examine such data separately by sex before proceeding with combined-sex analyses.

Convergent Validity of the MMPI–A and MACI Scales of Depression

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the depression scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescents (MMPI-A) and the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) show convergence with a sample of 252 adolescents from an inpatient psychiatric facility. Both inventories were administered as part of the intake process. Pearson correlations were computed among the (a) MMPI-A Scale 2 (Depression), (b) MMPI-A Depression Content Scale, (c) MACI Doleful Personality Scale, and (d) MACI Depressive Affect Scale. There was no significant difference between the mean scores. Evidence of convergent validity between the two tests was moderate.

A Review of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—Adolescent (MMPI-A) and the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) With an Emphasis on Juvenile Justice Samples

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) and Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) are frequently used objective personality self-report measures. Given their widespread use, the purpose of the current study was to examine and compare the literature base for the two instruments. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted between the years 1992 and 2007 using the PsycINFO Database. Results indicate the publication of 277 articles, books, book chapters, monographs, and dissertation abstracts on the MMPI-A. This was compared with the results of a comparable search for the MACI, which yielded 84 citations. The literature was further explored by determining the content of the topic areas addressed for both instruments. A particular focus was placed on the utility of the instruments with juvenile justice populations; scale means, standard deviations, and effect sizes calculated from this literature were examined. Results indicate that the use of the MMPI-A is supported by a substantial literature and a growing research base is also available for the MACI. Both instruments appear to provide useful results in juvenile justice settings.

The Psychology of Gifted Adolescents as Measured by the MMPI-A

The focus of this study is an examination of gifted students' responses on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—Adolescent (MMPI-A) in relation to the adolescent norming sample. The comparisons on clinical, content, and Harris—Lingoes scales provide evidence that gifted adolescent boys' and girls' responses do not differ from one another significantly. Furthermore, the data reveal that the assumption held by many that gifted adolescents are more prone to experience heightened rates of neuroticism or personality difficulties is unsupported by the empirical data. Analyses of MMPI-A scores reveal that gifted students' scores are equivalent to or lower than the general population in all areas. The results are discussed as continued empirical evidence that gifted adolescents do not demonstrate abnormal levels of psychological or personality deviance because of their elevated cognitive abilities. Putting the Research to Work: Educators often subscribe to the notion that gifted adolescents are prone to more neurotic behavior or are more often diagnosed with personality disorders than their age mates. The results of this research indicate that notion is false, particularly for adolescents in a residential academy. Educators should be cognizant of the characteristics and needs of gifted adolescents and use that knowledge in planning services and identification plans for these students.