The relationship of length of stay to MCMI-II and MCMI-III change scores

Differences between short versus longer lengths of stay on inpatient change scores were evaluated. Test-retest scores of 98 adult psychiatric inpatients tested with the MCMI-II in 1989 were compared with test-retest scores of 97 adult inpatients tested with the MCMI-III in 1995. The two samples of patients were comparable on demographic and diagnostic variables. Findings suggest a smaller degree of change associated with shorter lengths of stay, as measured by effect sizes and the proportions of patients moving from the clinically significant to the clinically nonsignificant range on scales for anxiety and depression.