In order to replicate and expand the work of Dimos (2013), we compiled the largest samples to date of MMPI-2 standard scale profiles among evangelical Christian missionary candidates (n =1227; 530 men and 696 women) and outpatients (n = 1431; 643 men and 788 women). Results indicated our candidate scale scores were remarkably similar to those reported by Dimos and together these datasets appear to converge on a reliable normative profile for this population. We also present a potential outpatient normative profile for our clinical sample. In distinguishing our samples from the MMPI-2 normative sample, we found that validity scale differences were most salient for the missionary candidates and several clinical scales provided the clearest contrasts for missionary outpatients. Potential profile shifts among successive generations were evident in the form of somewhat less defensiveness and, specific to outpatients, slightly more sensitivity and feelings of grievance. Finally, while the profiles of married and single candidates were essentially similar, among the clinical sample married missionaries appeared slightly more guarded and less distressed than their single counterparts.
There is currently a significant dearth of literature pertaining to the use of popular assessment instruments with ethnic minorities, including the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-2. We examined standard MMPI-2 Scale scores from a sample of 508 male (n ϭ 43 Asian Americans) and 665 female (n ϭ 71 Asian Americans) missionary candidates, comparing scale means between ethnicities by gender and, for the Asian American participants, with the gendered MMPI-2 normative samples. Our within-sample findings support the existing literature with regard to Asian Americans obtaining higher mean scores than Whites for scales F, L, and D (among women), and scale Si (both men and women), while comparison with the MMPI-2 norms supported these findings for scales L and D. Other withinsample clinical scale differences were also observed, but mean scores for all these scales were in the modal range and do not suggest an ethnically distinct interpretive strategy. Religious and candidacy influences were a plausible explanation for most of the obtained validity scale means. However, among Asian American women, L scale elevations were significantly higher and may reflect the continuing relevance of ethnic considerations in evaluating MMPI-2 profile validity among even fairly acculturated women. Thus, our findings both support some of the existent research and validate the need for further studies of specific Asian American subgroups. What is the public significance of this article?This study suggests that reasonably acculturated Christian Asian American adults do not generally need an ethnically distinct interpretive strategy for the clinical scales of the MMPI-2. However, one significant deviation from this rule for the validity scales may be the finding of elevated Lie Scale scores among Asian American women, which may represent the combined influence of religion, gender, and ethnicity.
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