A Comparison of MMPI-2-RF Profiles of Outpatients with Reported Chronic Medical Conditions, Reported Disability, or Psychological Ailments

Abstract

Past personality assessment research using MMPI instruments has examined their use in a variety of contexts, including in healthcare settings. The utility of the more recently developed Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2- RF), however, has not been examined in these contexts to the same degree. The present study evaluated differences between MMPI-2-RF scores in a sample of 154 adult outpatient community mental health clients who (a) reported a preexisting physical condition in conjunction with psychological symptoms (n = 66), (b) were either in the process of applying for or were already receiving Social Security disability compensation (n = 30), or (c) reported purely psychological disturbance (n = 58). Multivariate analysis revealed significant differences among the scores on six (12.2%) of the 49 MMPI-2-RF scales of interest in this study (i.e., all scales excluding the two Interest scales). Subsequent univariate and post-hoc analyses demonstrated differences between the Social Security disability compensation group and comorbid complaints group on three (6.1%) of the 49 scales examined, between the Social Security disability compensation group and psychological complaints group on six (12.2%) of these 49 scales, and between the psychological complaints and comorbid complaints on one (2%) scale. Hierarchical linear regression results revealed that the three scales identified as significantly different between the Social Security disability compensation and comorbid complaints groups accounted for 13% of the variance in score differences between these groups. A second hierarchical linear regression analysis demonstrated the six scales that were significantly different between the Social Security disability compensation and psychological complaints groups collectively accounted for 30% of the variance between these groups. Simple linear regression results indicated the one scale found to be significantly different between the psychological complaints and comorbid complaints groups accounted for 4% of the variance between these groups. Overall, the nature of the differences that emerged between the three groups was such that: (a) the Social Security disability compensation group reported a broad array of symptoms across several domains, including experiences of negative affect, internalization of emotion, somatic concerns, pessimism, and disturbances in interpersonal interactions; (b) the comorbid conditions group reported both somatic and psychological symptoms consistent with the nature of their presenting concerns; and (c) the psychological complaints group primarily reported emotional dysfunction with fewer somatic symptoms than those reported by the other two groups. Contributions, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.