This study compared the MMPI scores of Central American refugees from Guatemala and El Salvador to those of Mexican immigrants. It was expected that subjects from Guatemala and El Salvador would obtain higher scores on the F, D, Pa, and Sc scales because these subjects came from "war-torn" countries. A multivariate analysis of variance yielded no significant differences between the three groups on any of the validity and clinical scales including F, D, Pa, and Sc. Recommendations for cross-national research are noted especially in light of the new version, or MMPI-2.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were significant MMPI differences between 20 inpatient and 20 outpatient Hispanic-American sex offenders and whether their MMPI scores were consistent with those of nonHispanic (i.e., AngloAmericans) sex offenders as reported in the literature. It was hypothesized that Hispanic outpatients would obtain significantly lower scores than inpatients on the Depression and Social Introversion scales. The hypothesis was only partially supported on the latter. An unexpected finding was that outpatients obtained higher Masculinity-Femininity scores than inpatients. While multiple clinical-scale elevations were found for both groups, similarities between Hispanics and nonHispanics were found in over-all profile patterns. The results suggest that there is no “profile for an Hispanic sex offender” and that minimum levels of psychopathology may be reflected in the MMPI scores of Hispanic sex offenders.

T t is now almost 20 years since Ruiz (1973, 1975) published their 1 landmark reviews on the psychological testing and assessment of Hispanic Americans in clinical, psychiatric, and mental health settings. In their reviews, Padilla and Ruiz emphasized the paucity of research on Hispanics, the need for validation studies on such instruments as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and Rorschach, and the need to reexamine unwarranted assumptions regarding the clinical interpretation of Hispanics' test performance. For example, with respect to test interpretation, Padilla and Ruiz came to the following conclusion:It appears that the interpretation of personality test responses from [Hispanic] American subjects are based on the implicit assumption that this group is somehow "no different" from the majority group Ii.e., White Americans]. Another way of presenting this assumption is to assert that cultural differences exert minimal influence upon personality test responses; and therefore, "unique," "unusual," or "atypical" 253

The purpose of this study was to compare the MMPI performance of Hispanic, black, and white mental patients who were matched on the psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia. It was hypothesized that ethnic patient groups from a maximum security hospital would not differ significantly on any of the 13 MMPI scales as a result of being equated on psychiatric diagnosis. A secondary purpose was to examine the most frequently occurring two-point high-point codes elicited by each of the ethnic groups. Significant multivariate differences were indicated among the MMPI scales and across ethnic groups. Significant univariate differences were found among the three ethnic groups on six of the 13 MMPI scales. The most frequently occurring two-point high-point code for Hispanic and white groups was the "8-2/2-8" code, while for the black group it was the "6-8/8-6" code. Results were discussed with regard to ethnicity, psychiatric diagnosis, and MMPI performance of ethnic/racial groups.