title: Racial differences on psychological measures in combat veterans seeking treatment for PTSD.
abstract: In this article, we examined racial differences in psychometric data on 4 commonly used self-report inventories administered to a group of 206 combat veterans evaluated at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center outpatient posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment program. Patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD, Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Black veterans showed greater elevations than White veterans on the DES, and the F-K index and Scales 6 and 8 of the MMPI-2. In addition, normative data are presented for the entire sample on each measure. Results suggest that, consistent with studies using the original MMPI, these patients endorse severe levels of psychopathology across a broad range of symptoms, including depression and disturbed thinking. Implications for clinical practice and future research are addressed.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Service, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, SC 29401-5799, USA.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Frueh
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Libet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*