Use of Selected MMPI-A Factors in the Prediction of Clinical Outcomes in a Community-Based Treatment Program for Juvenile Sexual Offenders

This study was designed to evaluate the use of MMPI-A factors to make predictions about clinical outcomes within a community-based treatment program for juvenile sexual offenders. Specifically, selected MMPI-A factors were used to predict client acceptance into the program and client compliance with program expectations over a 12-month period. Results showed that program acceptance was best predicted by the MMPI-A factor, “Immaturity.” No MMPI-A factors were found to be statistically significant in the prediction of program compliance. A high degree of collinearity was found between MMPI-A factors, raising questions about their discriminative utility. Results are discussed with regard to the limited utility of the MMPI-A, and factor scores, in making predictions about specific clinical outcomes

Cluster analysis of MMPS-A profiles in court-involved youth

Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only.The present study sought to expand the research by exploring the subgroups that emerge using cluster analysis of Court Involved Youth (CIY), referred by the Juvenile Justice System (JJS) and Child Welfare System (CWS), using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A. This study utilized archival data from an original sample (N = 354) of CIY referred for diagnostic testing in a Midwestern state. After removing participants who did not receive the MMPI-A and who did not produce valid MMPI-A profiles, a two-step cluster analysis was conducted with the remaining 179 participants using Ward’s (1963) hierarchical cluster analysis utilizing the MMPI-A clinical scales to determine cluster membership. Outliers were removed based on Mahalanobis and Cooke’s distances, leaving 113 participants. Two through eight cluster solutions were examined, and a four cluster solution was deemed most appropriate. This study described the MMPI-A clinical scale profiles of these four groups and their demographic, diagnostic, and Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) cognitive abilities profile composition. MAC-R scales were also examined for each of the four groups. When analyzing the final sample, the Psychopathic Deviate (Pd) scale was moderately elevated. However, a variety of clinical scale elevations emerged when analyzing the MMPI-A clinical profiles based on group membership. Groups included a distinct Psychopathic Deviate (Pd) scale elevation and moderate MAC-R elevation, a group with a Depression (D) scale elevation and moderate Psychopathic Deviate (Pd) elevation, and two groups with Average MMPI-A clinical profiles. All groups had mean CHC ability profiles in the Low Average to Average range. Further research may seek to examine the MMPI-A Restructured Form (MMPI-A-RF) profiles of CIY, especially after Family First legislation is implemented.Thesis (Ph. D.

Psychometric Functioning of The MMPI-A Restructured Form VRIN-R, TRIN-R, CRIN, and Cannot Say Scales with Varying Degrees of Randomness, Acquiescence, Counter-Acquiescence, and Omitted Items

The MMPI-A-RF (Archer, Handel, Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2016) is a new measure of adolescent personality and psychopathology derived from the MMPI-A (Butcher, Williams, Graham, Archer, Tellegen, Ben-Porath & Kaemmer, 1992) item pool. Similar to the MMPI-A, the MMPI-A-RF includes indexes designed to assess non-content-based responding and omitted items. Building on Handel, Ben-Porath, Tellegen & Archer’s study (2010) on adults, the current study utilized computer simulation of random, acquiescent, counteracquiescent, and omitted responses to examine how adolescent validity scale and RC scale scores are affected by increasing degrees of non-content-based responding. Further, RC scale validity coefficients were examined to see how increasing degrees of non-content-based responding attenuates these relationships. Lastly, this study examines the moderating effects of VRIN-r and TRIN-r on the relationship between RC scale and extra-test variables. Results showed that MMPI-A-RF content non-responsiveness does have a predictable impact on validity scale scores, RC scale scores, and clinical scale relationships through changes in mean T-scores, degradation of validity coefficients, and significant moderating effects. Limitations and implications of the current study are addressed

Factor Analysis of the MMPI-A Content Scales: Item-Level and Scale-Level Analyses

This investigation identified and interpreted the overall factor structure of the MMPI-A content scales through the use of scale-level analyses, and examined the factor structure of each individual content scale through item-level analyses. The MMPI-A normative sample (805 males, 815 females) and a clinical sample (266 males, 92 females) were used in the analyses. Scale-level analyses yielded a two factor solution for the normative male and clinical groups and a one factor solution for the normative sample and normative female group. The factors were labeled General Maladjustment and Externalizing Tendencies. Item-level analyses provided one factor solutions for the majority of the MMPI-A content scales. These findings differed from the factor structures obtained in the creation of the MMPI-A Content Component scales recently developed by Sherwood, Ben-Porath, and Williams (1997). Implications of these findings are discussed

Improving the Sensitivity of the VRIN-r Scale on the MMPI-A-RF

When respondents to self-report measures fail to answer in accordance with item content it distorts the accuracy of obtained test scores, degrading the ability of clinicians to use results to make accurate diagnoses and recommendations. The Variable Response Inconsistency (VRIN) scale was created for the MMPI-2 and was later revised as the VRIN-r scale for the MMPI-2-RF and MMPI-A-RF in order to detect and invalidate protocols over saturated with random responding. Analyses conducted by Pitta (2016) revealed that the VRIN-r scale for the MMPI-A-RF was not ideally sensitive to the detection of random responding in protocols. This study explored adding items drawn from another validity scale used to detect over reporting on the MMPI-A-RF (the F-r scale) to the VRIN-r scale to ascertain if the resultant hybrid scale was more sensitive to random responding. Using the MMPI-A-RF normative sample and an over reporting sample from the MMPI-A, analyses were conducted to identify the ideal number of F-r items to add to the VRIN-r scale that maximized sensitivity to random responding while maintaining specificity from detecting over reporting. F-r items were also added to another validity scale, the Combined Response Inconsistency (CRIN) scale, to ascertain if this hybrid scale was reliably sensitive to random responding. Analyses revealed that adding six F-r items to both the VRIN-r and CRIN scale greatly improved their sensitivity to random responding while maintaining adequate specificity from the detection of over reporting. Implications for these findings, limitations to the research design, and areas of future research are discussed

Examining the Measurement Invariance of the MMPI-A-RF Externalizing Scales Across Korean and American Adolescent Normative Samples

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory – Adolescents – Restructured Form (MMPI-A-RF; Archer, Handel, Ben-Porath, & Tellegen, 2016) is a newly developed instrument in personality and psychopathology and has been translated into many different languages, including the Korean language (University of Minnesota Press, 2016). Due to the cultural differences between Korean and American populations, it is important that constructs measured in the MMPI-A-RF are interpretable across cultures. Focusing on the Externalizing Scales, the present study used multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) to examine the measurement invariance in Korean and American adolescent normative samples. Partially supporting the hypothesis, the results showed that partial factorial invariance was achieved in four out of the six Externalizing Scales. Noninvariant items of each scale were also identified and cultural differences and implications were discussed. This study expanded the literature on the psychometric properties of the MMPI-A-RF and identified whether any discrepancies between samples reflected true cultural differences, or measurement bias

Development of a K-correction Factor for the MMPI-A

In 1992, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) was developed to meet the unique experiences and needs of adolescents. Despite evidence that adolescents often demonstrate response biases in taking the MMPI-A, currently there is no method to systematically correct for the effect of test-taking attitude on profile configuration with this age group. The K-correction factor has been widely used to correct for defensiveness or underreporting of symptomatology on the MMPI among adult respondents, although results of cross-validation research on the effectiveness of the K-correction factor have been inconclusive. The present study derived age-appropriate K-weights to determine the degree to which adoption of those weights could improve test accuracy in the identification of psychopathology. This study also examined the accuracy of the MMPI-A clinical scales in classifying adolescent normals and psychiatric patients. Discriminant analyses were performed to determine the K-weight scale score combination which best predicted normal versus clinical status for each of the eight clinical scales. Hit rate analyses were used to assess whether the adoption of these K-weights would result in improved classification accuracy. Results indicated that adoption of a K-correction factor did not improve test accuracy and did not support future use of a K-correction factor in scoring MMPI-A protocols

Relation of age beginning delinquency, chemical dependency, family history of substance use and the likelihood to display elevated 49/94 two-point codetype on the MMPI-A with juvenile delinquents

A data search of male juvenile delinquents (N=40) who had taken the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for Adolescents (MMPI-A) was undertaken from archival data at the Industrial Home for Youth Division of Juvenile Services at Salem, West Virginia. The Industrial Home for Youth is a 120 bed maximum security correctional facility for males age 10 through 20 and females age 12 through 20. Subjects’ files were placed into two groups, 20 in each group. The study group is males whose MMPI-A profile had a two-point codetype of elevated 49/94, T-score being 65 or above. The comparison group did not have the two-point codetype of 49/94. Three variables were examined independently, age beginning delinquency, chemical dependency, and family history of substance use, to see their relation to the display of elevated 49/94 two-point codetype on the MMPI-A profiles. Results show age beginning delinquency was the only significant variable. However, due to heteroscedasticity chemical dependency and family history of substance use only demonstrate a trend toward significance

Personality profiles and problematic internet use in a sample of Italian adolescents

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between specific personality profiles and Internet use in a sample of Italian adolescents. Method: Four hundred thirty-two adolescents (58.3% males) with an average age of 14.41 years (SD=.95) were enrolled in the study. Participants were administered the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory – Adolescent Form (MMPI-A). A two-step cluster analysis was relied according to IAT items’ scores. Results: Participants were grouped into three clusters labeled “Regulated Internet users” (n=180), “Involved with Internet activities” (n=105), and “At risk for problematic Internet use” (n=147). Consistently, the group at-risk for problematic Internet use showed higher IAT score and MMPI-A scores than the other groups, while no differences emerged between the group of regulated Internet users and the group of those involved with Internet activities. For the group at risk for problematic Internet use, the MMPI-A Clinical Scales on Paranoia (Pa) and Schizophrenia (Sc) showed the highest elevation, indicating a MMPI-A codetype 6-8/8-6 which describes adolescents with ego immaturity, dysregulated affects and behaviors, and reduced reality testing. Conclusions: Adolescents at risk for developing a dysfunctional use of the Internet may have little insight, bizarre beliefs, grandiose thought, and a persecutory view of the external world that may limit their capacity to counteract feelings of hopelessness and anguish. They could perceive the Internet as safe environment where it is possible to express such dysregulated feelings and behaviors, and to cope with emotional distress