Assessing PTSD with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III

Area of Science:

• Psychological Assessment
• Clinical Psychology
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Substance abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) frequently co-occur, particularly in combat veterans.
• Accurate assessment of PTSD in this population is crucial for effective treatment.
• The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) is a widely used personality assessment, but its utility for PTSD screening requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) in assessing PTSD among substance-abusing patients.
• To compare MCMI-III findings with previous versions (MCMI-I, MCMI-II) in similar populations.
• To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the MCMI-III's PTSD Scale.

Main Methods:

• The study included 228 substance-abusing patients and 32 combat-related PTSD patients.
• Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) scores were analyzed.
• The PTSD Scale (R) was specifically examined for its predictive validity and diagnostic accuracy.

Main Results:

• The MCMI-III yielded a distinct code type (16A) compared to earlier versions (8A2) in similar patient groups.
• The PTSD Scale (R) significantly differentiated between PTSD and non-PTSD substance-abusing individuals.
• The PTSD Scale (R) demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity, exceeding chance levels and reported manual values, and was the strongest predictor of PTSD in regression analysis.

Conclusions:

• The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) can serve as a valuable broad-band screening instrument for PTSD.
• The PTSD Scale (R) shows particular utility in identifying PTSD among substance-abusing patients with combat-related stress.
• Further research may support the MCMI-III's role in routine clinical assessment for PTSD in at-risk populations.