title: MMPI-A patterns related to the endorsement of suicidal ideation.
abstract: This study focused on the relationship between the occurrence of specific Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Adolescent (MMPI-A) basic scale profile patterns and the frequency of endorsement of three items related, in varying degrees, to suicide ideation (MMPI-A Items 177, 283, and 399). The research sample consisted of adolescents (n = 348) with diagnoses of depression, conduct disorder, and other psychiatric disorders. Significant relationships were found for the overall MMPI-A basic scale profile, several MMPI-A single scale high points, and specific two-point codetype groupings. Findings revealed higher basic clinical scale profiles for those adolescents endorsing suicidal ideation. Further results revealed lower frequencies of item endorsement for spike 4 and spike 9 profiles, and higher item endorsement frequencies for Scale 2, Scale 8, and for the two-point codetypes of 4-8/8-4, 8-9/9-8 and 6-8/8-6. Issues are discussed related to the clinical usefulness and limitations of the MMPI-A in the assessment and prediction of suicidal ideation and behavior in adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, USA.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Archer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Slesinger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*