Accuracy of MCMI classification of angry and psychotic black and white patients

Abstract

This study compared the ability of the MCMI personality scales to accurately predict anger and psychosis in White (n = 778) and Black (n= 272) psychiatric inpatients. Race‐adjusted norms (Millon, 1984) were used to compute patients' scale scores. The MCMI successfully predicted anger and psychosis for both races (p <.001). No difference was found in accuracy of prediction between Whites and Blacks (p >.40). In addition, the scales important for prediction were similar for Whites and Blacks. The Passive‐ Aggressive Scale best predicted anger, whereas the Avoidant Scale best predicted psychosis. The results suggest that the MCMI does predict accurately two important characteristics with both Black and White patients, but some racial bias remains.

Age differences among psychiatric inpatients on the MCMI

“…However, the results of a later study (Greenblatt & Davis, 1989) suggest that the age of White, but not of Black, patients contributes to the accurate prediction of both anger and psychosis.…”