Test of MCMI black norms for five scales

Abstract

A 2 × 2 × 2 MANOVA was used to anlayze the effects of race (Black vs. White), education (high school graduate vs. less than high school education), and diagnosis (schizophrenic vs. nonschizophrenic) on the MCMI Asocial, Avoidant, Schizotypal, Psychotic Thinking, and Psychotic Delusions scales that were obtained from 310 newly admitted psychiatric patients. The scales were selected because, according to the MCMI manual (Millon, 1983), they would be most apt to show differences between the schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic patients who participated in this study. The special norms for Black and White patients provided in the MCMI manual supplement (Millon, 1984) were used to compute the scale scores for the patients in this study. Race was the only significant (p < .001) effect. Blacks scored higher than Whites on the Asocial, Avoidant, Psychotic Thinking, and Psychotic Delusions (P < .04 for all scales). The results are discussed in terms of racial bias diminishing the usefulness of the MCMI.

Age differences among psychiatric inpatients on the MCMI

“…On the MCMI personality syndrome scales, age, race, and diagnosis were significant. Racial differences were consistent with recently reported research (Davis, Greenblatt, & Pochyly, 1990), but the significant differences in diagnosis were opposite the direction that might be predicted from the MCMI manual. Older patients tended to produce lower symptom scale scores than younger patients, with the most meaningful difference found on the Drug Abuse scale.…”

“…Means and standard deviations on the scale scores (in MCMI BR scores) for each group are displayed in Table 1 The significant effect for race is to be expected in light of past research (Davis et al, 1990). The significance of diagnosis was unexpected because no significant differences were found between schizophrenics and nonschizophrenics in the past (Davis et al, 1990).…”

“…Past research designed to evaluate the effect of another subject variable, race, on the MCMI (Davis et al, 1990) suggested that there was racial bias, but that the MCMI did not discriminate between schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic, nonpsychotic patients of either race. However, the results of a later study (Greenblatt & Davis, 1989) suggest that the age of White, but not of Black, patients contributes to the accurate prediction of both anger and psychosis.…”

Accuracy of MCMI classification of angry and psychotic black and white patients

“…However, the results should not be interpreted as contrary to those of past research (Davis et al, 1990) because DSM-111-R, Axis I diagnoses, rather than self-reports of problems, were used as criteria in this prior work.…”

Issues in the assessment of personality disorder and substance abuse using the millon clinical multiaxial inventory (MCMI-II)

“…This approach toward overdiagnosis could be used with special populations and perhaps could address some of the issues raised in recent research regarding the difference in the performance of the MCMI and its scales when assessing Blacks and Whites (Calsyn et al, 1991; Choca, Shanley, Peterson, & Van Denburg, 1990; Davis, Greenblatt, & Pochyly, 1990;Hamberger & Hastings, 1990). One issue that surrounds bias that needs to be researched is that of real differences vs. bias.…”