Some patterns of depression

Abstract

PROBLEMIn his review of studies involving the scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Cottle(4) concludes that the depression (D) scale is one of the most important. Others have described it as an indicator of the seriousness of personality disintegration ( 1 6 ) 1 as the most sensitive scale t o change in psychiatric therapy ($), and as the best single index of adjustment in the inventoryc7). Both Meehl('?) andKaufmann ( 9 ) report that the D scale tends to be highest in most abnormal profiles of M M P I scores. Despite the apparent clinical significance of the D scale there has been no systematic investigation of the scale itenis for the purpose of determiniug its internal structure. A t present we have little more than the statement of Hathaway and McKinley@) that a high D score indicates poor morale, feelings of uselessness, inability to assume an optimistic outlook, lack of self confidence, tendency to worry, narrowness of interests, and introversion.Factor analytic studies of the MMPI(2s 3 , 17. 18. 19), which have all been restricted to inter-scale correlations, suggest that D is functionally complex. Most of them ha1 e yielded two major factors with D loading significantly on both. In view of the nature of the variables involved these probably represent second-order factors extrarted a t the first-order level. In any case, previous studies reveal little of the number and nature of the underlying factors in the D scale itself. Consequently, it is the purpose of this study (a) to determine the number of factorial dimensions in the MMPI D scale by an analysis of the scale items, and (b) to ascertain what these dimensions are. PROCEDUREThe subjects were 300 white, male, veteran, neuropsychiatric hospital patients of mixed diagnoses who were administered the booklet form of the RIMPI as part of a standard admissions battery. Their mean age was 32.36 years, with a standard deviation of 7.35 years.Tetrachoric correlation coefficients (cosine pi) between the 60 D scale items were computed. Items having marginal frequencies of less than 10 per cent or showing uniformly low correlations were dropped. The resulting 49 x 49 matrix was factored by the complete centroid method until five factors were extracted. The fifth factor residuals had a mean absolute value of .073 and their distribution was symmetrical about zero. The orthogonal factors were rotated obliquely by twodimensional sections until simple structure was approximated. The inter-correlations between the primary factors were factored and rotated orthogonally to determine possible second order factors. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe rotated oblique factor matrix V is presented in Table 1.' I n interpreting the factors, those items with loadings of .35 or more will be given principal consideration.Most of the items which are significantly correlated with Factor -4, and whichshow negligible loadings on the other factors, are concerned with expressions of general ill-health. These include statements involving a denial of the following: that one n...

Correlates of avowed happiness.

“…Another objection to many traditional adjustment measures is not that they fail to measure happiness but that they succeed in measuring other things as well. O'Conner and his associates have illustrated this point in regard to the MA scale and the MMPI Z> scale (O'Conner, Lorr, & Stafford, 1956;O'Conner, Stefic, & Gresock, 1957). Factor analyses reported by these investigators showed five factors in the case of both the anxiety and depression measures.…”

Primary affective disorder: MMPI differences between unipolar and bipolar depressed subjects

“…The apparent lack of D scale sensitivity for the bipolar depressed group may be related to the results of other studies that indicate that this scale samples only limited areas of depressive symptoms@) and also includes other items not specific to depression (9). On the other hand, the self-report of the bipolar S may represent a successful denial of psychodynamic conflicts by partial retention of the defenses of activity and other-directed behavior previously described in manic-depressive Ss.…”

A unidimensional depression scale for the MMPI.

“…Until recently few studies of the MMPI have managed to avoid the a priori assumption of the dimensionality of the individual scales. Two notable exceptions were factorial studies of the intercorrelations of the items of the .Deo scale, one by O'Connor, Stefic, and Gresock (1957) and the other by Comrey (1957). But while these studies did not assume the scale's dimensionality, neither did they test it.…”