title: Neurocognitive parameters should be incorporated in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 assessment of patients with alcohol use disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Treatment planning for alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients is often preceded by the assessment of psychopathology and personality with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). However, during periods of abstinence, cognitive impairments (e.g. attention, memory and executive dysfunctions) related to neurological and somatic pathology may affect level and pattern of MMPI-2 scale scores, resulting in clinical misinterpretation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A re-analysis of the data of the Egger et al. study is conducted in order to examine the clinical significance of the MMPI-2 profiles of 222 AUD patients (mean age 42.2 ± 9.6 years; 76.6% men) by using neurologically relevant item correction procedures. Hierarchical cluster analyses of neurologically relevant item-corrected solutions were compared to the original MMPI-2 profile.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Impulsiveness and psychopathic deviation were identified as a common denominator.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Uncorrected MMPI-2 assessment in AUD tends to overstress psychopathology and to overlook disinhibitory traits in early abstinence, caused by chronic alcoholism.
authors.affiliation: Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray, the Netherlands. swalvoort@vvgi.nl
authors.forename: Serge J W
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Walvoort
authors.forename: Arie J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wester
authors.forename: Jos I M
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Egger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology