Marital Distress in Missionaries as Measured by the MMPI-2-RF Interpersonal Scales

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) is a briefer revision of the MMPI-2. The archived MMPI-2 profiles of 214 evangelical missionaries were analyzed to explore the relationship among the MMPI-2-RF newly constructed interpersonal scales, the RC scales, and missionary distress. Missionary husbands and wives were placed into two groups based on marital types (conflicted and non-conflicted) and again into three groups based on presenting issues (marital, family, and non-family distress). The results lend support to the use of the MMPI-2-RF Family Problems ( FML), Interpersonal Passivity ( IPP), and Shyness ( SHY) interpersonal scales along with the RC4 scale as a basic screening instrument for post-selection, pre-deployment missionaries with marital distress. Consequently, the MMPI-2-RF may be able to inform us in new ways. Recommendations for counselors and missionary boards are discussed.

The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function®-Adult Version is Related to Emotional Distress, Not Executive Dysfunction, in a Veteran Sample

Objective In three studies, we explore the impact of response bias, symptom validity, and psychological factors on the self-report form of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A) and the relationship between self-reported executive functioning (EF) and objective performance. Method Each study pulled from a sample of 123 veterans who were administered a BRIEF-A and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) during a neuropsychological evaluation. Participants were primarily middle-aged, and half carried a mood disorder diagnosis. Study 1 examined group differences in BRIEF-A ratings among valid, invalid, and indeterminate MMPI-2 responders. Analyses were conducted to determine the optimal cut-score for the BRIEF-A Negativity Validity scale. In Study 2, relationships were explored among MMPI-2-RF (restructured form) Restructured Clinical (RC) scales, somatic/cognitive scales, and the BRIEF-A Metacognition Index (MI); hierarchical analyses were performed to predict MI using MMPI-2-RF Demoralization (RCd) and specific RC scales. Study 3 correlated BRIEF-A clinical scales and indices with RCd and an EF composite score from neuropsychological testing. Hierarchical analyses were conducted to predict BRIEF-A clinical scales. Results Invalid performance on the MMPI-2 resulted in significantly elevated scores on the BRIEF-A compared to those with valid responding. A more stringent cut-score of ≥4 for the BRIEF-A Negativity scale is more effective at identifying invalid symptom reporting. The BRIEF-A MI is most strongly correlated with demoralization. BRIEF-A indices and scales are largely unrelated to objective EF performance. Conclusions In a veteran sample, responses on the BRIEF-A are most representative of generalized emotional distress and response bias, not actual EF abilities.

The MMPI-2-Restructured Form and the Standard MMPI-2 Clinical Scales in Relation to DSM-IV

In a Dutch sample of psychiatric outpatients (N = 94), we linked the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 (MMPI-2; Butcher et al., 2001) Clinical scales and MMPI-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008) Higher-Order (H-O) scales, Restructured Clinical (RC) scales and Specific Problem scales to the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, 4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) by First, Spitzer, Gibbon, and Williams (1995). Overall, the H-O scales, RC scales, and Specific Problem scales display meaningful relationships to Axis I and Axis II disorders conceptualized by the DSM-IV. In addition, the RC scales demonstrate a moderate improvement in validity over the standard Clinical scales. Theoretical and clinical implications are considered.