Associations Between MMPI-3 Scales and Dimensional Personality Disorder Models in a Community Mental Health Sample

As the field adopts dimensional models of personality disorders (DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorders [AMPD]; ICD-11 Personality Disorder), it is imperative that clinical assessment tools are available to assess them. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) is one such measure, as it is routinely used in clinical practice and assesses a variety of psychological symptoms. The current study aimed to build upon previous literature using a community mental health sample and a multi-method approach. Specifically, a sample of 289 individuals enrolled in various mental health services in New Zealand was used. The participants completed the MMPI-3 and self-report questionnaires of ICD-11 and AMPD impairment and traits; clinician ratings based on interviews and informant reports of these were available as well. The results supported most of the pre-registered hypotheses, with the Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) scales being among the best predictors of AMPD domains and the Compulsivity scale being the best predictor of Anankastia. Although a wide range of MMPI-3 scales predicted personality impairment scores, the internalizing scales emerged with the largest associations. Implications of these findings for clinical practice, such as utility and accessibility, are discussed.