The present study investigated the comparability of laptop computer- and tablet-based administration modes for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). Employing a counterbalanced within-subjects design, the MMPI-2-RF was administered via both modes to a sample of college undergraduates ( N = 133). Administration modes were compared in terms of mean scale scores, internal consistency, test-retest consistency, external validity, and administration time. Mean scores were generally similar, and scores produced via both methods appeared approximately equal in terms of internal consistency and test-retest consistency. Scores from the two modalities also evidenced highly similar patterns of associations with external criteria. Notably, tablet administration of the MMPI-2-RF was substantially longer than laptop administration in the present study (mean difference 7.2 minutes, Cohen's d = .95). Overall, results suggest that varying administration mode between laptop and tablet has a negligible influence on MMPI-2-RF scores, providing evidence that these modes of administration can be considered psychometrically equivalent.
Odland, Berthelson, Sharma, Martin, and Mittenberg ( 2013 ) caution that clinically elevated scale scores produced by members of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008 /2011) normative sample raise concerns about the potential for false positive findings of psychopathology. However, the MMPI-2-RF normative sample is intended to represent the general population of the United States, 26.2% of which met criteria for a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (APA, 1994 ) disorder in a 12-month period (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, & Walters, 2005 ). In the current study we compare scale elevation rates in the MMPI-2-RF normative sample to prevalence rates of mental disorders primarily drawn from the National Comorbidity Study Replication (Kessler et al., 2005 ). Our objective was to evaluate MMPI-2-RF elevation rates in an epidemiological context. Results indicate that MMPI-2-RF scale elevation rates were generally consistent with epidemiological data when examined in the context of standard interpretation guidelines for the inventory. We also reiterate Ben-Porath and Tellegen's (2008/2011) caution that MMPI-2-RF scale elevations alone are not sufficient to indicate the presence of psychiatric disorder. Rather they are best viewed as indications of the need to evaluate the individual for possible disorder(s). Implications of these results, limitations of this study, and future directions in research are discussed.
The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP;Kotov et al., 2017Kotov et al., , 2021 is offered as a dimensional alternative to traditional categorical diagnostic nosologies such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD). HiTOP researchers have recently published an open-source assessment system for clinical implementation, the HiTOP Digital Assessment and Tracker (Jonas et al., 2021). Here, we argue that the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3; Ben-Porath & Tellegen 2020a), given its structural similarities to HiTOP, can augment these efforts to shift the diagnostic paradigm, with the additional strength of being comprehensively validated, standardized, and normed. Sellbom et al. ( 2021) examined the factor structure of the MMPI-3 Specific Problems Scales (plus RC6 and RC8), finding a pattern of latent factors much like those proposed by HiTOP in both a general mental health sample and a prisoner sample. The present study is a partial replication of Sellbom et al. ( 2021) with a primary medical care outpatient sample (n = 164) and a college student sample (n = 529). A sequential factoring approach yielded emergent structures that are comparable to the HiTOP model. These findings with different and important samples support the generalizability of the MMPI-3 in assessing HiTOP constructs. Public Significance StatementThe Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) reflects an increasingly popular view of psychological dysfunction and has been proposed as a useful alternative to traditional diagnostic systems. Here, we replicate analyses from recent research linking the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3), a widely used assessment tool, to the HiTOP model. Our findings add to the literature demonstrating that the MMPI-3 can be used to measure psychological dysfunction in a manner consistent with HiTOP.
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