title: MMPI-2 Item Endorsements in Dissociative Identity Disorder vs. Simulators.
abstract: Elevated scores on some MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory-2) validity scales are common among patients with dissociative identity disorder (DID), which raises questions about the validity of their responses. Such patients show elevated scores on atypical answers (F), F-psychopathology (Fp), atypical answers in the second half of the test (FB), schizophrenia (Sc), and depression (D) scales, with Fp showing the greatest utility in distinguishing them from coached and uncoached DID simulators. In the current study, we investigated the items on the MMPI-2 F, Fp, FB, Sc, and D scales that were most and least commonly endorsed by participants with DID in our 2014 study and compared these responses with those of coached and uncoached DID simulators. The comparisons revealed that patients with DID most frequently endorsed items related to dissociation, trauma, depression, fearfulness, conflict within family, and self-destructiveness. The coached group more successfully imitated item endorsements of the DID group than did the uncoached group. However, both simulating groups, especially the uncoached group, frequently endorsed items that were uncommonly endorsed by the DID group. The uncoached group endorsed items consistent with popular media portrayals of people with DID being violent, delusional, and unlawful. These results suggest that item endorsement patterns can provide useful information to clinicians making determinations about whether an individual is presenting with DID or feigning.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Brand is Professor of Psychology, Dr. Chasson is Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology, Ms. Palermo is a Graduate Research Assistant, Mr. Donato is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Mr Rhodes is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, and Ms. Voorhees is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Towson University, Towson, MD. MMPI-2 items were used with permission from the University of Minnesota Press and have been abbreviated to prevent copyright infringement. Please refer to item numbers while using this article in clinical practice. bbrand@towson.edu.
authors.forename: Bethany L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.affiliation: Dr. Brand is Professor of Psychology, Dr. Chasson is Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology, Ms. Palermo is a Graduate Research Assistant, Mr. Donato is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Mr Rhodes is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, and Ms. Voorhees is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Towson University, Towson, MD. MMPI-2 items were used with permission from the University of Minnesota Press and have been abbreviated to prevent copyright infringement. Please refer to item numbers while using this article in clinical practice.
authors.forename: Gregory S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Chasson
authors.affiliation: Dr. Brand is Professor of Psychology, Dr. Chasson is Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology, Ms. Palermo is a Graduate Research Assistant, Mr. Donato is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Mr Rhodes is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, and Ms. Voorhees is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Towson University, Towson, MD. MMPI-2 items were used with permission from the University of Minnesota Press and have been abbreviated to prevent copyright infringement. Please refer to item numbers while using this article in clinical practice.
authors.forename: Cori A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Palermo
authors.affiliation: Dr. Brand is Professor of Psychology, Dr. Chasson is Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology, Ms. Palermo is a Graduate Research Assistant, Mr. Donato is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Mr Rhodes is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, and Ms. Voorhees is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Towson University, Towson, MD. MMPI-2 items were used with permission from the University of Minnesota Press and have been abbreviated to prevent copyright infringement. Please refer to item numbers while using this article in clinical practice.
authors.forename: Frank M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Donato
authors.affiliation: Dr. Brand is Professor of Psychology, Dr. Chasson is Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology, Ms. Palermo is a Graduate Research Assistant, Mr. Donato is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Mr Rhodes is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, and Ms. Voorhees is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Towson University, Towson, MD. MMPI-2 items were used with permission from the University of Minnesota Press and have been abbreviated to prevent copyright infringement. Please refer to item numbers while using this article in clinical practice.
authors.forename: Kyle P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.affiliation: Dr. Brand is Professor of Psychology, Dr. Chasson is Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology, Ms. Palermo is a Graduate Research Assistant, Mr. Donato is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Mr Rhodes is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, and Ms. Voorhees is an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Towson University, Towson, MD. MMPI-2 items were used with permission from the University of Minnesota Press and have been abbreviated to prevent copyright infringement. Please refer to item numbers while using this article in clinical practice.
authors.forename: Emily F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Voorhees
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D009105:Dissociative Identity Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D008873:Mid-Atlantic Region; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult