Associations Between MMPI-2-RF Validity Scale Scores and Extra-Test Measures of Personality and Psychopathology

Abstract

The current study explored associations between two potentially invalidating self-report styles detected by the Validity scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF), over-reporting and under-reporting, and scores on the MMPI-2-RF substantive, as well as eight collateral self-report measures administered either at the same time or within 1 to 10 days of MMPI-2-RF administration. Analyses were conducted with data provided by college students, male prisoners, and male psychiatric outpatients from a Veterans Administration facility. Results indicated that if either an over- or under-reporting response style was suggested by the MMPI-2-RF Validity scales, scores on the majority of the MMPI-2-RF substantive scales, as well as a number of collateral measures, were significantly affected in all three groups in the expected directions. Test takers who were identified as potentially engaging in an over- or under-reporting response style by the MMPI-2-RF Validity scales appeared to approach extra-test measures similarly regardless of when these measures were administered in relation to the MMPI-2-RF. Limitations and suggestions for future study are discussed.

The Generalizability of Overreporting Across Self-Report Measures: An Investigation With the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2–Restructured Form and the Personality Assessment Inventory in a Civil Disability Sample

“…Specifically, MMPI-2-RF scale PSYC-r had the most overlap with the two scales used to classify the OR-P group, accounting for approximately 28% of items on F-r and approximately 29% of the items on Fp-r. MMPI-2-RF scale RC1 had the most overlap with FBS-r (one of the scales used to classify the OR-SC group), which includes approximately 33% of items on FBS-r. These results converge with previous findings indicating that conjointly administered measures assessing externalizing problems exhibit smaller effect sizes when over-reporters are compared with valid reporters (Forbey et al, 2013). In the context of the current study, this finding is most likely due to the demand characteristics in civil forensic settings, where individuals seeking disability are generally less likely to overreport externalizing behaviors.…”

“…The current study aims to extend the findings of Forbey et al (2013) by examining associations between MMPI-2-RF identified overreporting and collateral scores on a measure of psychopathology that includes embedded validity scales in a sample of individuals with incentive to feign psychopathology and/or somatic/cognitive problems. To this end, we identified both an overreporting of psychopathology group and an overreporting of somatic/cognitive problems group using the MMPI-2-RF Validity Scales in a civil disability sample, and we compared their MMPI-2-RF and Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) scale scores to those of a valid reporting group.…”

“…In the most comprehensive investigation, Forbey et al (2013) examined the Validity Scales of the MMPI-2-RF in relation to several measures of social, behavioral, and psychological functioning in samples of undergraduates, volunteer prison inmates, and psychiatric outpatients from a Veterans Affairs facility. Each participant was assigned to one of three groups (overreporters, underreporters, or within normal limits) based on their scores from the Validity Scales of the MMPI-2-RF.…”

Using presurgical psychological testing to predict 1-year appointment adherence and weight loss in bariatric surgery patients: predictive validity and methodological considerations

“…When individuals underreport on the MMPI-2-RF, scores on the BXD domain scales are likely to be most impacted [47]. For example, in the current investigation, the Substance Abuse scale yielded the lowest standard deviation, less than half that of the general population, despite research demonstrating that a history of substance use disorders are prevalent among bariatric surgery candidates [2].…”

“…Although the previous literature is mixed as to whether presurgical psychopathology can predict bariatric surgery outcomes (owing, in part, to the considerations just discussed), postoperative assessments-where the incentive to underreport is diminished-suggest that problems that are correlated with externalizing psychopathology, such as executive functioning, alcohol use, and impulse control disorders, may impede the outcome. Because these problems are associated with externalizing psychopathologic constructs measured by the MMPI-2-RF [3,22] and are often underreported [47], we hypothesized that scale scores from the BXD measurement domain of the test (Table 1) would be associated with %WL 1 year following RYGB, particularly after accounting for range restriction due to underreporting.…”