Comparison of external correlates of MMPI substance abuse scales across sex and race.

Abstract

The present study examined the differential predictive accuracy of seven Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory alcoholism scales and two drug abuse scales across both sex and race in a sample of 171 alcoholic inpatients. Results demonstrated considerable variance among these scales in their ability to predict alcohol and other drug use, expectancies, and consequences. The predictive accuracy within scales also varied across four sex-race subgroups. Although five of the nine scales predicted a variety of relevant external criteria for black male alcoholics, only three of these were predictive for black women. Only one scale retained its predictive utility for white male alcoholics; none related to external criteria above chance rate for white alcoholic women. Implications of these findings for clinical assessment and future research are discussed.Use of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in the assessment and treatment of alcoholism and other substance abuse has a long tradition of more than 30 years of research. Although the development of separate MMPI scales for detecting substance abuse comprises a prominent strategy in this area, recent investigations have generally been critical of MMPI alcoholism scales, particularly those developed prior to 1960. Whereas early scales were derived to discriminate alcohol abusers from normal controls (Alcoholism Scale [AL],

Scores on MacAndrew factors: Bulimics and other addictive populations

“…Although addictive subjects consistently scored higher than female controls, they did not score significantly higher than male controls on all factors. Other researchers have also suggested that the validity of the MacAndrew may depend upon the six of a respondent (e.g., Snyder, Kline, & Podany, 1985). This tendency to be sex-biased could have accounted for the relatively low scores obtained on the MacAndrew factors by the group of female buliics used in the present study.…”

Screening medical patients for alcoholism with the MMPI: A comparison of seven scales

“…To determine the accuracy of these seven MMPI alcoholism scales in screening medical patients, each was scored on the same criterion and the same four contrast samples. In general, the study followed the "horse race" model proposed by Zager and Megargee (1981), an approach carried on by Holmes, Dungan, and McLaughlin (1982) and Snyder, Kline, and Podany (1985). The criterion group was composed of inpatients from an ADDU; contrast samples were made up of two different sets of medical patients, a group of patients hospitalized on an adult psychiatry ward, and a sample of contemporary normal adults.…”

A short scale for predicting drug misuse using selected items from the MMPI

“…In addition to identifying potential abusers of alcohol, the MacAndrew Scale has also been shown to distinguish between abusers and non-users of substances other than alcohol (Klinge, 1983;Lavelle et al, in press) and is currently the best scale available for predicting substance abusing tendencies (Craig, 1986). However, the MacAndrew Scale is unable to distinguish between abusers of alcohol and abusers of other substances (Ktinge, 1983;Wolfson & Erbaugh, 1984;Snyder et al, 1985). This may be because (a) the MacAndrew Scale, in fact, is really a general measure of addictive tendencies; (b) abusers of substances other than alcohol answer enough of the MacAndrew questions in the expected direction to elevate their scores; or (c) drug abusers also use enough alcohol to score highly on the MacAndrew Scale.…”