Measuring personality and emotional functioning in multiple sclerosis: a cautionary note.
Changes in personality and emotional status are common in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The purpose of this study was to examine results based on the MMPI-2 before and following application of a statistical correction procedure (Gass, 1992). This was done to help determine changes in scale score elevations when items containing actual physical symptoms are identified and statistically removed. Twenty-eight participants with MS were administered the MMPI-2, then retested 1 year later. Stability of MMPI-2 scores over time was demonstrated. Results showed that when the correction procedure was applied to the MMPI-2, eight standard clinical scale scores dropped an average of 6.66 T-score points. Significant differences were obtained between standard MMPI-2 scored profiles and corrected profiles on Scales 1-3 and 8. Cautious interpretation of MMPI-2 results for neurological samples was indicated. This study extended prototypic research by using patients with MS, examining the stability of results over time (1 year), and introducing a more reliable method of deriving standard T-scores in the correction procedure.
Neurology Department, University of California, Irvine, Medical Center, 101 The City Drive, Route 81, Building 53, Room 225, Orange, CA 92868, USA. ldnelson@uci.edu
Linda D
LD
Nelson
Joseph T
JT
Elder
Pany
P
Tehrani
Jantje
J
Groot
D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors