Association of fake-good MMPI-2 profiles with low Beck Depression Inventory scores.
Seventy-nine adolescent mothers (mean age = 18.1 years) were administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and three validity scales (L, F, and K) of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2). The aim was to determine whether low-BDI mothers were "faking good," or denying their depression. The adolescent mothers were assigned to a low-BDI group (scores = 0, 1, 2), a nondepressed group (scores = 3-9), or a depressed group (scores > or = 13). The depressed group had higher F (Symptom) scale scores than did the nondepressed group, which in turn had higher scores than did the low-BDI group. The low-BDI group, in contrast, had more fake-good profiles than did the two other groups. Discriminant analyses indicated that 90% of the fake-good profiles could be classified correctly based on BDI and K (Defensiveness) scale scores. These data suggest the need for further assessment when individuals have extremely low BDI scores.
Scafidi
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FA
Touch Research Institute, University of Miami, USA.
Field
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T
Prodromidis
M
M
Abrams
S M
SM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D011581:Psychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015406:Single Parent / Q000523:psychology