Chronic pain: an investigation of assessment instruments

The present study investigated professional perceptions of utility and the actual predictive validity of the MMPI and the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI) in a sample of chronic pain patients. Overall results indicated statistical preference for the MBHI on nine of the ten dimensions of clinical utility. In addition, patient prognosis was rated as more favorable based upon the MBHI report. The differences noted between raters of different professional capacities were hypothesized to reflect differences in familiarity with assessing pain patients from a psychological perspective. However, over the course of a one year follow-up, neither instrument significantly predicted such behaviors as hospital usage, medication usage or general status. Rather, the psychologists who wrote the original consultations (which were not rated for utility) were more accurate than either the MMPI or the MBHI in predicting these health related behaviors.