Mmpi characteristics and correlates among adolescent psychiatric inpatients

Abstract

Investigated the salient response characteristics and clinical correlates of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in an adolescent psychiatric inpatient population (N = 64). MMPI data were analyzed by both univariate and multivariate statistical techniques. Results revealed that the MMPI profiles of male and female adolescents were highly similar, and few significant relationships were found between MMPI based diagnostic groupings and selected demographic and symptomatological patient features. MMPI scale data, particularly validity scale scores, were found to be of significant utility in accurately classifying adolescents' length of hospitalization. Further, results of principal components analyses generated three factors, labelled General Psychopathology, Defensiveness, and Sociopathy, which accounted for a major proportion of MMPI scale score variance. Findings were discussed in terms of implications for current research and clinical practices and areas for future investigation.