The Hispanic MMPI-A across five countries

The Hispanic MMPI-A was developed for use with Spanish-speaking adolescents living in the United States. In order to sample its potential usefulness in other countries, the test was administered to 385 Spanish-speaking adolescents in Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and the United States. The results showed a high degree of similarity across the five countries on the basic content and supplementary scales. Most scales were within 1/2 standard deviation of the U.S. Hispanic mean, and no scale elevations were greater than T = 65. Slight differences (T = 55-60) were obtained on scale F for males and scales F, Hs, Mf (Peru and Colombia), Pa, and Sc for females. This study would suggest that the Hispanic MMPI-A, with its established norms, is appropriate for adaptation in Spanish-speaking countries other than the United States. Further studies with the Hispanic MMPI-A are recommended to determine its effectiveness in clinical assessment in Spanish-speaking countries.