The Millon Behavioral Health Inventory: concurrent and predictive validity in a pain treatment center

Area of Science:

• Psychological assessment
• Medical psychology
• Clinical research

Background:

• The Millon Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI) is designed for psychological evaluations in medical settings.
• Limited published research exists on the MBHI's clinical utility and validity.
• This study addresses the gap by evaluating the MBHI in a chronic pain patient cohort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI) in chronic pain patients.
• To compare MBHI scales with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).
• To assess the MBHI's ability to predict treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

• The study involved 52 chronic pain patients.
• MBHI scores were compared with MMPI and BDI scores.
• Treatment outcomes were analyzed in relation to MBHI, MMPI, and BDI scores.

Main Results:

• MBHI scales showed high correlations with psychopathology and emotional distress but limited relation to MMPI Hs and Hy scales.
• The MBHI Pain Treatment Responsivity (PP) scale, Allergic Inclination (MM) scale, and MMPI D scale predicted treatment outcomes.
• Questionable specificity was noted among MBHI scales, with high intercorrelations (0.70-0.86).
• The PP scale was not selected in regression models predicting treatment outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The MBHI demonstrates some utility in assessing distress in chronic pain patients.
• Concerns regarding the specificity of MBHI scales warrant further investigation.
• Cautious clinical application of the MBHI with pain patients is recommended pending additional research.