Seven MMPI alcohol and drug abuse scales: An empirical investigation of their interrelationships, convergent and discriminant validity, and degree of racial bias.

Abstract

This study investigated the interrelationships, convergent and discriminant validity, and magnitude of racial differences on five Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) alcohol scales and two drug scales with youthful samples (mean age = 22.3 years) of heavy and moderate alcohol users, heavy and moderate drug users, and non-psychoactive-substance-using inmates at a federal correctional institution (n = 1,048). Five scales showed some degree of convergent or discriminant validity. Racial differences were observed on five scales with blacks scoring lower on all these scales except one.

Clinical utility of the MMPI research scales in the assessment of adolescent acting out behaviors.

“…The MAC scale (MacAndrew, 1965) is the only one of the alcohol and drug abuse scales to have been widely studied within an adolescent population, and results of the current study are consistent with studies showing the MAC to be measuring a broader antisocial personality dimension rather than the specific presence of an alcohol or drug problem (Archer, Gordon, Anderson, & Giannetti, 1989;Colligan & Offord, 1990;Gottesman & Prescott, 1989;Rathus, Fox, & Ortins, 1980). Previous comparative evaluations of the MMPI alcohol/drug abuse scales using samples of male prison inmates (Zager & Megargee, 1981) and medical patients (Colligan, Davis, Morse, & Offord, 1988) found quite similar results in terms of the MAC doing less well than the face-valid substance abuse scales. The Colligan et al finding that Item 215T (/ have used alcohol excessively) outperforms all the scales was not replicated in this sample.…”

MMPI-A patterns of male juvenile delinquents.

“…Their means on Scales ACK, IMM, and PRO were somewhat elevated, ranging from 55 to 60 T, and their mean of 67 T on MAC–R was their highest on the entire MMPI–A; 54% of the delinquents scored over 59 T on PRO and 59% on ACK. On MAC–R, 88% scored over 59 T and 60% over 64 T. The fact that MAC–R was higher than ACK and PRO is consistent with the notion that it reflects a general propensity for impulsive, antisocial, and illegal behavior, including, but not necessarily limited to, alcohol and drug abuse (Megargee, 1985; Zager & Megargee, 1981). Along with Scales F, 4, and 9, MAC–R could be a major MMPI–A indicator of acting out tendencies…”

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

“…Although the HE scale (Cavior et al, 1967) was designed specifically to discriminate heroin abusing prisoners from nonabusing prisoners, its relation to a variety of alcohol-use measures in this study is consistent with its failure to discriminate between alcoholics and other drug abusers reported by Zager and Megargee (1981). As an index of other substance abuse, the HE scale was outperformed in the present study by the briefer DAS (Panton & Brisson, 1971), which also demonstrated discriminant validity in its failure to correlate with external criteria specific to alcohol use.…”

“…Gynther & Green, 1980;Pritchard & Rosenblatt, 1980). The issue of racial bias in MMPI substance abuse scales assumes particular interest because among those studies finding racial bias on the MMPI favoring lower scores for blacks, nearly all have involved alcoholics or other drug abusers (Patterson, Charles, Woodward, Roberts, & Penk, 1981;Sutker, Archer, & Allain, 1978;Zager & Megargee, 1981).…”

“…Recently, Zager and Megargee (1981) emphasized the need for some "horse races" to evaluate the differential validity of MMPI substance abuse scales when applied to the same criterion sample. In their own study, the authors evaluated the convergent and discriminative validity of five MMPI alcoholism scales (AH, CAK, MAC, AL, and ICAS) and two drug abuse scales (HE and DAS) in a prison population partitioned into groups on the basis of race and type of substance used.…”