Preliminary validation of the MMPI-A for a male delinquent sample: an investigation of clinical correlates and discriminant validity.
Adolescent psychopathology, until recently, has been a largely neglected area of research and poses unique challenges for psychological assessments. In response to the specific need for adolescent-focused measures, the MMPI-A (Butcher et al., 1992) was among several measures to be developed. Although a sizeable literature exists on the original MMPI (Hathaway & McKinley, 1943) and adolescent populations, relatively few empirical studies have been published on the MMPI-A. The primary purpose of this study was the examination of clinical correlates for the MMPI-A for a male delinquent sample. MMPI-A protocols were collected from 99 adolescents at a North Texas juvenile correctional facility, and systematic comparisons were conducted between the Basic Scales and symptoms/diagnoses derived from the Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS-III-R; Ambrosini, Metz, Prabucki, & Lee, 1989). Using only K-SADS-III-R symptoms with high reliabilities (rs > .80), a comprehensive list of correlates was generated for the Clinical, Supplementary, and Content Scales. Additionally, stepwise discriminant functions successfully classified MMPI-A protocols according to K-SADS-III-R diagnoses. As an exploratory analysis, ethnic differences on MMPI-A profiles were also investigated, revealing significant differences among groups.
Cashel
M L
ML
Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 62901, USA.
Rogers
R
R
Sewell
K W
KW
Holliman
N B
NB
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D008950:MMPI / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012561:Schizophrenia, Childhood / Q000175:diagnosis; D012737:Sex Factors