Susceptibility of the MMPI-2 Clinical, Restructured Clinical (RC), and Content Scales to Overreporting and Underreporting

Abstract

The authors examined and compared the susceptibility of three Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) scale sets (Clinical, Restructured Clinical [RC], and Content) to over- and underreporting using five analog samples. Two samples of 85 and 191 undergraduate students, respectively, took the MMPI-2 under underreporting versus standard instructions. Three samples consisting of 42 undergraduates, 73 psychiatric inpatients, and 84 medical patients took the MMPI-2 under overreporting versus standard instructions. A comparison of the effect sizes across the three sets of scales indicated that Clinical Scale scores are not less susceptible to distortion than the Content or RC Scales. An apparent lesser susceptibility to underreporting for the Clinical Scales was an artifact of the subtle items' effect on these scales.

The relationship between facial skeletal class and expert-rated interpersonal skill: an epidemiological survey on young Italian adults

“…It is well known that for various reasons, individuals undergoing a psychological assessment may over-report or underreport problems. Moreover, as the stakes involved in a psychological evaluation increase, so does the likelihood that the individual will distort his or her responses (Sellbom et al 2005). Hence, the military academy of Pozzuoli, Italy, requires every candidate to be evaluated by self-administering a standardized personality test, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; Sellbom et al 2005), followed by a brief colloquium with the team of boardqualified psychiatrists, in order to confirm the orientation given by the test.…”

Use of the MMPI-2 Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales in Detecting Criminal Malingering

“…However, at present, only one major study, conducted by Sellbom et al (2005), has examined the effects of impression management on the RC Scales. For purposes of exploring malingering, Sellbom et al (2005) used archival data from three analog samples in order to assess its effects on the RC scales.…”

“…However, at present, only one major study, conducted by Sellbom et al (2005), has examined the effects of impression management on the RC Scales. For purposes of exploring malingering, Sellbom et al (2005) used archival data from three analog samples in order to assess its effects on the RC scales. Analog, or simulation, studies in which participants are instructed to respond in a fake-bad manner are often used to assess the effects of malingering on self-report tests as it is difficult to find "real" malingerers to participate in research, for obvious reasons.…”

“…These investigations, particularly in recent years, have been motivated by the understanding that individuals participating in psychological assessment can deliberately manipulate the results of self-report instruments such as the MMPI-2 for purposes such as feigning mental illness (Ganellen 2008). This is particularly true in forensic settings where individuals may attempt to feign mental illness in order to escape prosecution or obtain preferential treatment (Sellbom et al 2005). The purpose of these research investigations is to attempt to identify the typical characteristics of malingering profiles in order to better identify individuals who may be manipulating test results.…”

“…Using ordinary individuals in these studies roughly approximates a true malingering scenario in which a normal individual attempts to feign mental illness. For their investigation, Sellbom et al (2005) reanalyzed data from studies performed by Graham et al (1991), Arbisi and Ben-Porath (1998), and Arbisi (this was a previously unpublished archival data set). In the re-analysis, they rescored all of the MMPI-2 profiles according to the RC scales and then compared these RC scores with scores on the Basic scales by computing Cohen's d, a measure of effect size.…”