Assessing aviators for personality pathology with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI)

Psychiatrists independently evaluated 82 aviators referred to an aeromedical consultation service who had been administered the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI). The MCMI personality scales of those aviators psychiatrically deemed to be free from personality pathology were compared to the scales of those aviators psychiatrically assessed to have maladaptive personalities. The MCMI personality scales reached statistical significance (p < 0.005) for identifying Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2) Cluster C (dependent or avoidant or both) maladaptive personality traits, but did not reach statistical significance for Cluster B (histrionic or narcissistic or both) traits. Military aviators are a highly selected group who have mastered numerous obstacles and who continually prove their adaptability. The prevalence of personality pathology is likely not as great in this population as would be suggested by the MCMI. An elevation of a Cluster C scale, however, warrants a high index of suspicion.