MMPI-3 scale predictors of reactions to ostracism in a sample of racially diverse college students.

Abstract

We examined the ability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) scales to predict reflexive reactions to rejection elicited via a Cyberball task. In an effort to expand the criterion-related and incremental validity knowledge of the MMPI-3, we specifically focused on scale associations with the following adverse reflexive reactions: feelings of rejection, low positive and high negative affect, and high perceived threats to social needs. We hypothesized 10 substantive scales that assess negative emotionality, self-esteem, paranoia, and interpersonal difficulties to be positively associated with these adverse reactions, while we expected four scales indicative of interpersonal antagonism to be inversely related. The sample included 180 undergraduate students (80.6% female, 17.2% male; 59.5% White, 40.5% people of color), and analyses were conducted using the full sample and race-based subsamples. Results partially supported hypotheses, most notably in the case of indicators of mood/negative emotionality, Self-Doubt, and Self-Importance. Results were largely consistent across race-based subsamples with some notable exceptions. Our findings provide support for the validity of the MMPI-3 scales and their ability to assess reactions to an interpersonal stressor via a behavioral paradigm. Limitations (e.g., reliance on college student sample) and future directions (e.g., need for replication with larger samples) are discussed. Public Significance StatementIn a sample of college students [59.5% White and 40.5% people of color (POC)], this study examined MMPI-3 scales' associations with self-report of threatened fundamental needs, overall positive and negative affect, and feelings of rejection after an ostracism experience. The majority of examined scales demonstrated relationships to ostracism reactions in expected directions, providing novel construct validity evidence for select MMPI-3 scales.

Comparability of MMPI-3 scores from remote and in-person administrations and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on MMPI-3 scores.

“…First, a relatively small percentage of participants produced invalid MMPI-3 protocols in the In-Person Pre-COVID-19 Onset, In-Person Post-COVID-19 Onset, and Remote groups (8.8%, 11.7%, and 6.2%, respectively). These rates are comparable or even favorable in comparison with those of recently published studies on the MMPI-3 using undergraduate student samples (e.g., Anestis et al, 2022 [20.1%]; Brown & Sellbom, 2021 [7.6%]; Marek & Anderson, 2022 [12.2%]). However, chi-square analyses indicated that the Remote group produced a significantly smaller proportion of invalid protocols than the In-Person Post-COVID-19 Onset group.…”