Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) findings among breast clinic patients after initial evaluation and at 4- or 8-month follow-up.
Twenty-seven patients who subsequently underwent benign biopsy and 41 patients diagnosed to have breast cancer completed the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) after initial examination in a breast problem clinic and again after 4 months or, for CA patients who were completing a course of chemo/radio-therapy, after 8 months. At initial testing, the trend toward fewer moderate-severe disorders among the benign biopsy (BB) group did not reach statistical significance. However, at follow-up, the difference was significant; the BB group showed fewer moderate-severe disorders (7.5%) than the cancer (CA) group (29%). Concordance of two-point peak elevations on scales 1-8, S, C, and P was examined. For the BB group, 56% had the same two high points on both testings, compared to only 27% of the CA group. Test-retest correlations on personality scales were generally lower for the CA group than for the BB group. We concluded that (1) approximately 30% of breast CA patients showed a disruption of psychological adjustment clearly severe enough to merit consideration of a mental health referral; (2) despite the frequency of significant distress, major affective and thought disorders were infrequent among this group; (3) distress associated with breast CA may interfere with the reliable assessment of long-standing personality traits.
Malec
J
J
Medical School and Clinical Science Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wolberg
W
W
Romsaas
E
E
Trump
D
D
Tanner
M
M
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012803:Sick Role