Ability of Substance Abusers to Escape Detection on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) in a Juvenile Correctional Facility

A total of 189 male Vietnam veterans who were admitted to a specialized inpatient treatment program were evaluated using the Millon Clinical Multiphasic Personality Inventory to assess character styles. The veterans were assessed for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder by using a subscale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and 72% of the patients were classified as having Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. The character styles of passive-aggressive, schizoid, avoidant, and borderline were significantly associated with these patients. The most common 2-point profile was passive-aggressive and avoidant (8-2 or 2–8) and was significantly related to the diagnosis. While drug and alcohol abuse were common problem areas for the entire sample, the profile of patients with Posttraumatic Stress was different from those of substance abusers. These results indicate that treating Vietnam veterans with this disorder requires adopting strategies which include a character style focus as well as a symptom focus.

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Using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) to Detect Psychological Distress and Dysfunction in a State Correctional Setting

Criminal Justice and Behavior ◽

10.1177/0093854804268756 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 734-751 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Maureen S. Black ◽

Johnathan D. Forbey ◽

Yossef S. Ben-Porath ◽

John R. Graham ◽

John L. McNulty ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory ◽

Correctional Facility ◽

Personality Inventory ◽

Correctional Facilities ◽

Female Inmates ◽

Correctional Setting ◽

Clinical Scales ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Psychological Difficulties

Approximately 1.3 million men and 93,000 women are currently detained in state and federal correctional facilities. The ability to identify upon admission to a correctional facility those individuals who either have or are at an increased risk for developing significant psychological difficulties is crucial in order to allow early detection of inmates requiring mental health services. This study investigates the frequency with which 34,281 male and 6,878 female inmates from a state corrections facility reported significant levels of distress and dysfunction upon intake to the correctional system as measured by various clinical scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Results indicate that a substantial proportion of incarcerated adults reported significant levels of distress across a variety of psychological, social, and behavioral domains.

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MMPI-2 in Child Custody Litigation

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000192 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 110-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Paolo Roma ◽

Federica Ricci ◽

Georgios D. Kotzalidis ◽

Luigi Abbate ◽

Anna Lubrano Lavadera ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Child Custody ◽

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory ◽

Personality Inventory ◽

Custody Evaluations ◽

Self Presentation ◽

Female Population ◽

Clinical Scales ◽

Forensic Assessments ◽

Child Custody Evaluations ◽

Italian Women

In recent years, several studies have addressed the issue of positive self-presentation bias in assessing parents involved in postdivorce child custody litigations. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) is widely used in forensic assessments and is able to evaluate positive self-presentation through its Superlative Self-Presentation S scale. We investigated the existence of a gender effect on positive self-presentation bias in an Italian sample of parents involved in court evaluation. Participants were 391 divorced parents who completed the full 567-item Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 during child custody evaluations ordered by several Italian courts between 2006 and 2010. Our analysis considered the S scale along with the basic clinical scales. North-American studies had shown no gender differences in child custody litigations. Differently, our results showed a significantly higher tendency toward “faking-good” profiles on the MMPI-2 among Italian women as compared to men and as compared to the normative Italian female population. Cultural and social factors could account for these differences.

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