MMPI correlates of a controversial EEG pattern among adolescent psychiatric patients

Relative to adult MMPI studies, few investigations address adolescent correlates of the MMPI. A particularly neglected area of potential importance has been the relationship between adolescent MMPI profiles and electroencephalographic (EEG) disturbances. This study examined EEG recordings, MMPI results, and psychiatric diagnosis of 99 (49 male; 50 female) psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Because there was a high incidence of 14 and 6 per second positive spike EEG patterns among males, one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were employed to compare MMPI results for 31 males with normal EEG patterns and 17 males with 14 and 6 per second positive spiking. The 14 and 6 per second positive spike EEG signal was related to significantly higher MMPI T score elevations on Hs, PD, and MF. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for both EEG and MMPI interpretations.