An MMPI scale to predict premature termination from inpatient alcohol treatment

This study developed an MMPI scale to predict premature termination of patients from inpatient alcohol programming. MMPI responses of 93 male veterans hospitalized in a 4-week alcohol treatment program were item analyzed, and 21 items that differentiated Completers from Dropouts were selected. A classification accuracy rate of 91.36% was achieved in the standardization sample using a cut-off score of 8 and comparing only valid profiles. Classificatory accuracy of a cross validation sample (N = 90) was somewhat lower (75.34%). Face validity was absent, an indication of the scale's subtlety, and an analysis of scale items' Social Desirability Scale Values indicated that social desirability did not appear to influence item endorsement. Consistent differences between Completers and Dropouts were noted on Scales F and Sc, but not over other MMPI clinical scales, age, and race. Methodological issues and the use of the scale in alcohol treatment programming also were discussed.