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MMPI response-set characteristics among adolescents
R P Archer1, R A Gordon, F H Kirchner
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Journal of Personality Assessment
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Adolescent Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) profiles for "all-true" and "all-false" response sets mirror adult findings. However, "fake bad" adolescent profiles are often exaggerated and detectable, while disturbed teens may simulate normal profiles effectively.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychometrics
- Adolescent Psychology
Background:
- The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a widely used psychological assessment tool.
- Understanding response sets is crucial for accurate MMPI interpretation, especially in adolescent populations.
- Previous research has established MMPI profile characteristics for adult response sets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine MMPI profile characteristics for five different response sets in adolescents using adolescent norms.
- To compare adolescent MMPI response set profiles with those reported in adult literature.
- To investigate the effectiveness of
- fake good
- fake bad
- and random
- response sets in adolescent populations.
Main Methods:
- Adolescent norms were applied to MMPI profiles generated by five response sets:
- all-true
- all-false
- random
- fake good
- and fake bad.
- Two studies involved 94 public high school students and 24 inpatient adolescents under standard and simulated response conditions.
- MMPI profiles were analyzed in relation to participant demographics (age, sex, race) and actual MMPI features.
Main Results:
- Adolescent
- all-true
- and
- all-false
- profiles showed high similarity in shape and elevation to adult profiles.
- Random adolescent profiles differed significantly in shape, but not elevation, from adult random profiles.
- Normal adolescents attempting to
- fake bad
- produced exaggerated, easily detectable invalid profiles, influenced by sex and race.
- Disturbed adolescents could effectively simulate normal profiles, with success related to older age and lower Hs/Hy T-scores.
Conclusions:
- Adolescent MMPI response set characteristics partially align with adult findings, but notable differences exist, particularly for random and simulated profiles.
- The MMPI is generally effective in detecting invalid
- fake bad
- adolescent profiles due to exaggerated symptom presentation.
- The MMPI may be less effective in identifying simulated normal profiles by psychiatrically disturbed adolescents, suggesting a need for careful interpretation in this subgroup.