Academic literature on the topic 'MCMI-III'

The MCMI–III personality disorder scales were empirically validated with a sample of 870 clinical patients and inmates. Prevalence rates of personality disorders were in general lower on the MCMI–III than clinical ratings, but trait prevalence was generally higher; thus a base rate of 75 on the MCMI–III could be a guideline in the screening of trait prevalence. However, the sensitivity of some MCMI–III scales was very low. Moreover, the correlations of most personality disorder scales of the MCMI–III were significant and positive with corresponding measures on clinical ratings and MMPI-2 personality disorder scales, but these were, in general, not significantly higher than some other correlations. As a consequence the discriminant validity seems to be questionable. The MCMI–III alone cannot be used as a diagnostic inventory, but the test could be useful as a screening device as a part of a multimethod approach that allows aggregation over measures in making diagnostic decisions.

This study examined personality characteristics of Mexican-American male batterers. 60 Mexican-American male batterers ( M = 33.6 yr.) in the court system in South Texas took the MCMI–III and their MCMI–III scores were compared with the scores of a community sample of 45 Mexican-American individuals ( M=30.4 yr.). The batterers frequently scored higher than the nonbatterers on the Avoidant and Passive-Aggressive scales, while nonbatterers frequently scored higher on the Histrionic scale. The batterers scored significantly higher on 18 out of 24 MCMI–III scales, while nonbatterers scored significantly higher on two scales.

There has been limited conclusive research examining the personality characteristics of clergy who perpetrate abuse. To address this dearth of research, the current study aimed to develop a personality profile that distinguishes clergy members who sexually abuse children from other clergy. Personality and psychopathology were assessed using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 (MMPI-2) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory–III (MCMI-III). Data were analyzed from a sample of clergy members, who comprised four comparison groups: clergy members referred to treatment for (a) child sexual abuse, (b) sexual misconduct with adults, (c) general clinical problems, or (d) routine employment evaluations with no previously identified clinical or sexual issues. While differences were found between groups, only the Aggressive/Sadistic scale of the MCMI-III consistently distinguished clerics who sexually abused children from all other clergy members. Findings are discussed in regard to the utility of the MMPI-2 and MCMI-III as a screening tool for clerical applicants for the Catholic Church.

AbstractThe identification of personality disorder among mental health service users is problematic but important because it is associated with high levels of comorbidity and possibly ineffective service delivery. This study assessed the prevalence of personality disorder using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory – 3rd edition (MCMI-III) compared with prevalence using frequency of assignment of diagnosis in people referred to an in-patient CBT clinical psychology service. Prevalence rates differed from 85% (MCMI-III) to 16% (diagnosis) using these different measures. Reasons for this difference and implications for CBT therapists' practice are discussed.

In certain situations respondents completing self-report psychological tests are motivated to present themselves in the best possible light and attempt to alter their responses accordingly (termed faking good). Although the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory - third edition (MCMI-III; Millon, 1994) possesses a scale (Y-Desirability) that can alert the clinician to the probability that a respondent has made an attempt to fake good, there remains controversy surrounding the use of this test, especially in high stakes contexts. When respondents fake good, the Y-Desirability scale elevates but there is a tendency for three Clinical Personality Pattern scales (4-Histrionic, 5-Narcissistic, and 7-Compulsive scales) to also elevate for reasons other than that the test taker has a high level of histrionic, narcissistic, or compulsive traits. An elevation on those four scales has been dubbed the normal quartet (Halon, 2001). It is left to the clinician to estimate the degree to which the elevations on these scales are actually indicative of psychopathology, despite the elevation on the Y-Desirability scale suggesting otherwise. The risk of incorrect conclusions being drawn is unacceptable, particularly given the stakes (e.g. child custody). This research project was conducted to help researchers and clinicians understand why elevations are found on clinical scales designed to measure psychopathology, despite a respondent‟s attempt to fake good. Four studies were conducted. The central purpose of Study 1, an exploratory study, was to determine if there was a generic fake good profile that applied across contexts in which one might be motivated to fake good. Undergraduate University psychology students were randomly assigned to four analogue conditions (n = 16 per condition) and required to role-play different fake good scenarios (i.e. Good Parent; Good Person; Healthy Psychiatric Patient; Healthy Drug User). Results demonstrated that there were far more similarities than differences between participants in all four conditions, with all conditions obtaining a version of the normal quartet (elevations on Y-Desirability, 4-Histronic, 5-Narcissistic, and 7-Compulsive scales and with very low scores on most other scales). Differences that were found were either not clinically meaningful with very low base rate (BR) scores or possibly attributable to unequal difficulty in the instructions used in two of the conditions. Study 2 was conducted as a manipulation check to determine if the instructions were perceived to be a confounding variable in Study 1. Participants were 20 adults who were supplied all four instruction sets from Study 1 and asked how difficult they believed it would have been to follow each individual role. Additionally, they were required to rank from one to four the easiest to hardest instructional set. The conclusion drawn from Study 1 was confirmed that some instructions (primarily for the Healthy Psychiatric Patient condition) were perceived to be significantly harder than others for participants to role-play. The strongest conclusion that could be drawn from Study 1 was that regardless of context, even with different instructions and difficulties, when respondents were required to fake good, they generally obtained a fake good profile that was an exaggerated version of the normal quartet. Study 3 was conducted to answer the questions raised at the end of Study 1; that is, why are respondents elevating on scales designed to measure psychopathology, despite instructions to fake good, and what strategies were they using that might be contributing to these elevations? A sample of parents (n = 10) were administered the MCMI-III and required to answer out loud as if they were taking the test as part of a Family Court assessment and how they respond will help determine with whom the child/ren will reside. The participants were asked to report why they answered True or False to each item and how important it was to answer in that way. The data were explored both quantitatively and qualitatively. Results illustrated that participants used a variety of strategies ranging from a single theme of denial of perceived pathology to more sophisticated strategies by assessing each item carefully and even promoting minor negative attributes. Despite the faking good strategy adopted, most participants interpreted a number of items on the 4-Histrionic, 5-Narcissistic, and 7-Compulsive scales as positive attributes (mostly true-keyed items) that they willingly endorsed, at times rating it important to do so if one wants to look like a good parent. Participants answered False and rated it important to do so for most of the test items with the intention of hiding perceived pathology in line with the fake good instructions. However, by answering False, participants inadvertently scored heavily on these items across the 4-Histrionic, 5-Narcissistic, and 7-Compulsive scales given the disproportionately greater number of false-keyed items found on these three scales. Study 4 was developed after the completion of Studies 1 to 3 due to the release of the new Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory – fourth edition (MCMI-IV; Millon, Grossman, & Millon, 2015). The purpose of this exploratory analysis was to determine if the same issues revealed with the MCMI-III in high-stakes settings were still present in the revised edition. A replication of the Lenny and Dear (2009) study was undertaken. Lenny and Dear used the MCMI-III results from participants in a fake good parent condition and compared them against an Honest condition. The authors concluded that the normal quartet obtained by those in the Fake Good condition was more likely due to factors other than psychopathology. For Study 4, MCMI-IV results were obtained from 60 parents that were randomly assigned to either the Fake Good condition (n = 30) or the Honest condition (n = 30). The Honest condition participants were asked to answer the test in an honest manner and their final BR results were compared to that of the Fake Good condition participants. The Fake Good participants were required to answer the test items as if they were undertaking a Family Court assessment and that how they answer will help determine with whom the child/ren will reside. A normal quartet was still present in the Fake Good condition but now comprised BR score elevations on the revised Y-Desirability, 4A-Histrionic, 7-Compulsive scales, the new 4B-Turbulent scale and with most other scales very low. A borderline subclinical elevation on the 5-Narcissistic scale was also obtained, which was an improvement from the MCMI-III results. The new 4B-Turbulent scale was clinically elevated when participants attempted to fake good on the MCMI-IV and in this study was the highest elevation of a normal quartet. The most important findings from the four studies in this research project were (1) that the normal quartet elevations were likely due to psychometric issues with the test design combined with the way respondents interpreted items when instructed to fake good on both the MCMI-III and MCMI-IV; (2) elevations on the MCMI-III were directly linked to participants actively endorsing items they misperceived as positive attributes, particularly on true-keyed items, and attempting to deny or hide perceived pathology but inadvertently scoring on the false-keyed items; and (3) when using the MCMI-IV, the BR score profile will likely be similar to that of the MCMI-III in genuine high-stakes settings, such as child custody evaluations, with the addition of an elevated 4B-Turbulent scale. Qualitative findings from Study 3 with the MCMI-III are likely to be transferable to the MCMI-IV and explain the significant elevations on the equivalent scales and new scale that was seen in Study 4. Given the significant BR score elevations on both the MCMI-III and MCMI-IV in simulated high stakes contexts, which closely resemble results from real-world examples, serious caution is warranted when using either edition in high stake contexts. The final conclusion from this research project is that the MCMI-III and MCMI-IV should not be used in high-stakes settings until further research is conducted.

This study used the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III to examine the relationship of psychopathology and victim selection of young adult pedophiles convicted of Penal Code 288 (a). The sample consisted of 64 felons, aged 18 to 24, incarcerated at the California Youth Authority. Significant differences were not discovered between the group means of male or female victims or between familial and non-familial victims. Individual scale elevations above the Base Rate of 75 were significant between the groups. Depressive traits were reported for pedophiles who had both male and female victims and Dependent traits for only male victims. Incest offenders reported both Self-Defeating traits and problems associated with Drug Dependence. Non-familial offenders reported Paranoid personality traits. The results suggest that pedophilic interest is characterized by an independent, active, and defensive personality and also by a passive, dependent, drug dependent personality style, all contributing to molest potential. This group of pedophiles can be considered heterogeneous and cannot be characterized by any one diagnostic category.

Four adult attachment styles that have been extensively reported in the literature have been labeled secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and fearful. Unfortunately, there are no existing published studies that measure attachment styles of incarcerated women. This study used responses from 158 women incarcerated at a federal prison on the Relationship Questionnaire, Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III), and Record of Maltreatment Experiences to examine several facets of the association of attachment styles with childhood abuse and scales on the MCMI-III. The inmates who survived abuse endorsed the fearful and preoccupied attachment styles more, and the secure style less, than did the women who did not acknowledge a history of abuse. There was no statistically significant finding among attachment styles based on physical or sexual abuse. Inmates who were abused by a family member were more likely to endorse the fearful attachment style. The depressive, sadistic, and dependent MCMI-III scales were determined to be more highly associated with fearful or preoccupied attachment styles than with dismissing or secure styles. Finally, the inmates endorsed the anxious/ambivalent (fearful and preoccupied) attachment style more, and the secure style less, than non-incarcerated individuals as reported in the literature.

La violencia y la criminalidad son fenómenos preocupantes dentro de la realidad peruana. Ésto se evidencia en el creciente número de delitos, y el aumento de la población penitenciaria. En este contexto, es necesario contar con instrumentos confiables capaces de medir patologías de la personalidad relacionadas con la conducta antisocial. El presente estudio instrumental tiene como objetivo analizar las propiedades psicométricas de Validez Interna y Confiabilidad de la escala de Trastorno Antisocial de la Personalidad del Inventario Clínico Multiaxial de Millon (MCMI-III). La muestra final estuvo compuesta por 66 jóvenes adultos varones (M=25.44; DE=3.51) recluidos en un establecimiento penitenciario de la ciudad de Lima. El análisis de confiabilidad a través del método de covariación conjunta Alpha de Cronbach arrojó un coeficiente de .729 para la escala de Trastorno Antisocial, mostrando un nivel de fiabilidad adecuado. Del mismo modo, se realizó el análisis de Validez Interna a través del método de correlaciones ítem-test (Pearson) el cual mostró índices de correlación que oscilaron entre .096 y .499 para el total de la escala (17 ítems). Asimismo, se llevó a cabo un análisis de discriminación de ítems con la finalidad de neutralizar aquellas variables con correlaciones inferiores a 0.3, para mejorar el índice de confiabilidad de la escala. La escala resultante estuvo compuesta por 10 ítems, cuyas correlaciones ítem-test oscilaron entre .352 y .527, elevando el coeficiente de confiabilidad a .775. Además, se estimó la prevalencia de sintomatología antisocial en la población, presentándose en el 27.3% de los casos. Estos hallazgos permitieron discutir los alcances y limitaciones de la escala en lo que respecta a la medición del constructo.
Two of the major problems within the Peruvian reality are violence and crime. The evidence is the increasing number of felonies and the rising of the prison population. In this context, it is necessary to have reliable tools to measure the personality pathology related to antisocial behavior. This instrumental study aims to analyze the psychometric properties of Internal Validity and Reliability of the Scale of Antisocial Personality Disorder in the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III). The final sample was taken from 66 young adult male inmates (M=25.44; DE=3.51) from a prison in the city of Lima. Reliability analysis through the joint covariance method yielded a Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of .729 for Antisocial Disorder Scale, showing an appropriate level of reliability. In turn, analysis of internal validity through correlations item-tests (Pearson) showed correlation coefficients ranging between .096 and .499 for the scale of 17 items. In addition, a removing items process is conducted to promote the reliability of the scale. The Resulting scale consisted of 10 items, whose item-test correlations ranged between .352 and .527, raising the reliability coefficient of .775. Further more, the prevalence of antisocial symptoms in the population, appearing in 27.3% of cases was estimated. These results let on to discuss the scope and limitations of the Scale of Antisocial Personality Disorder of the MCMI-III with regard to the measurement of the antisocial construct.
Tesis

In 2003 (Tellegen, Ben-Porath, McNulty, Arbisi, Graham, & Kaemmer) the MMPI-2 RCd scale was developed to independently measure the MMPI ―factor one,‖ an inherent technical problem within the Clinical scales. The developers renamed this factor ―demoralization‖ after exploratory factor analyses were utilized to extract this dimension from the basic nine MMPI-2 scales, creating a separate demoralization scale known as the Restructured Clinical Demoralization scale (RCd). This study examined a sample of 440 adult psychiatric inpatients to determine the relationship of the MMPI-2 RCd scale with the MCMI-III scales to assess the degree to which it may measure demoralization. Exploratory principal axis factoring with promax rotations were conducted resulting in a four factor solution. RCd loaded moderately (0.48, 0.43) on two of the four factors, Factor I named demoralized affect and Factor II named demoralized social functioning. This study indicated the presence of demoralization among several of the MCMI-III scales and supported the multidimensionality of demoralization suggested within the literature.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-Third Edition (MCMI-III) currently ranks among the most commonly utilized personality tools. A review of the literature revealed that ethnic minorities tend to score higher on certain scales of the MMPI and MCMI compared to their White counterparts. The literature also indicated that acculturation level can serve as a moderator variable on overall performance on these measures. Most of the studies that examined racial/ethnic differences on the MCMI were conducted using the MCMI-I and MCMI-II. While many MCMI studies have explored racial differences, few studies have examined the impact of cultural factors on MCMI-III performance. To date, there is no empirical data on the impact of culture on the MCMI-III scores of Blacks from different cultural backgrounds. Given the significant increase in the number of Black immigrants to the United States especially from the Caribbean and Africa, Black Americans are becoming an even more diverse group, representing different cultures and nationalities. In the current study, the performance of African Americans (n = 52) and Caribbean Blacks (n = 77) were compared on the Antisocial, Narcissistic, Paranoid, and Delusional Disorder scales of the MCMI-III. Attempts were also made to compare Blacks in the current sample to the MCMI-III's development sample. Additionally, the impact of cultural variables was examined using the African American Acculturation Scaled-Revised (AAAS-R). Multivariate Analysis of Variance procedure revealed no significant difference in performance between the two groups on the select scales of the MCMI-III (p =.883). Additional analyses revealed significant difference between the two groups on the Compulsive scale: Caribbean Blacks obtained a higher mean (Cohen's d =.-50. F= 6.663, p = .011). Analyses comparing the Blacks in the current sample to the MCMI-III's development sample indicated the following: a) a significant difference between the two groups on the Antisocial, Narcissistic, and Delusional Disorder Scales and b) no significant difference between the two groups on the Paranoid scale (p = .559). Supplemental analysis revealed moderate association between the Paranoid and Delusional Disorder Scales of the MCMI-III and certain scales of the AAAS-R, implying both a degree of item overlap and similar item content.

The Brazilian-Portuguese Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (BP-MCMI-III) is a newly developed translation of the original MCMI-III and requires validation before it can be used in cross-cultural research and clinical settings. This study was the first validation study with the BP-MCMI-III and examined the validity of its Alcohol Dependence and Drug Dependence scales for identifying substance-related disorders in a Brazilian sample. The diagnostic validity of these scales was examined by comparing participants' scores on the BP-MCMI-III against group status (controls versus patients receiving substance abuse treatment) and against clinical diagnoses made based on a DSM-IV-TR symptom checklist. In addition, diagnostic validity statistics were also computed for both scales. The construct validity of the Alcohol Dependence scale was examined by comparing the subjects' scores with their performance on a Brazilian version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The total sample used in this study consisted of 126 Brazilians residing in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Of the total sample, 75 were inpatients at treatment facilities for substance abuse and 51 were not receiving treatment for alcohol- or drug-related problems at the time of testing. The results of this study supported the validity of the BP-MCMI-III for diagnosing substance-related disorders among Brazilians.

The purpose of the present study was to study the relationship of MCMI-III clinical scales with MMPI-2 clusters in a chronic pain population. Data was obtained through assessment data (N = 242) from the Dallas Spinal Rehabilitation Center (DSRC), that included MMPI-2 and MCMI-III, as well as pre-and post-assessment information (n = 21) and follow-up questionnaires (n = 19). Subjects' age ranged from 18 to 64. Each patient had a primary diagnosis related to a back and/or a cervical injury, a chronic pain diagnosis, and often medical prescription dependency and/or addition. Each has experienced back pain in the lumbar region (L1 to L5) or cervical region (C1 to C7) for an average of 32 months. Patients with thoracic (mid-spine) and carpal tunnel pain were excluded from this study. A multivariate cluster analysis procedure was performed that yielded 3 homogeneous female MMPI-2 clusters and 4 MMPI-2 homogeneous male clusters. Seven multiple regression analyses were performed to determine which MCMI-III clinical scales predicted cluster membership in the MMPI-2 clusters. Results indicated that MCMI-III clinical scales "7" Compulsive, "X" Validity and "C" Borderline were predictors for membership in the male MMPI-2 clusters. Membership in the female MMPI-2 clusters were predicted by MCMI-III clinical scales "4" Histrionic, "T" Drug Dependence and "2A" Avoidant. Nineteen pre-and post-MCMI-IIIs were analyzed for change after participants completed the six-week pain management program. Paired-sample t-tests were performed on these data and revealed that significant change was noted on 10 MCMI-III clinical scales. Follow-up data questionnaires were available on these same individuals. Results from a correlation analysis indicated that patients who reported having supportive relationships with their spouse and family and a secure source of income report better quality of sleep, better mood, are able to relax and are believe that they are able to manage their pain. Participants who were able to relax and remain calm report better quality of sleep, exercise frequently, report better quality of mood and believe that they will return to work soon. Findings from this study suggest that rather than using the MCMI-III as a diagnostic tool, a more efficient use of this instrument would be to understand maladaptive coping styles that may be present under stressful situations. This study's findings suggest that pain treatment program staff could utilize follow up information, as well as diagnostic information about coping strategies that might appear under stress, to shape interventions. Future research might focus on investigation of factors that predict both improvement and program failure, especially those present at initial intake.

In research on tinnitus, it is recognised that various psychological factors play a role in whether an individual is negatively impacted by the symptoms of tinnitus. In this exploratory study, through the use of descriptive statistical analysis of the data obtained from the MCMI-III and 16PF5 of tinnitus sufferers, possible psychological constructs can be identified as being present in subjective tinnitus sufferers. Scarce research on tinnitus stemming from or being exacerbated by various psychological constructs is found in South Africa. Many studies exist outside of South Africa; however, the results of these studies need to be verified in terms of the South African population. The study used previously administered protocols of the MCMI-III and the 16PF5 of subjective tinnitus sufferers in order to explore the psychological constructs in the form of test scales using descriptive statistical analysis on the protocol data. By investigating possible psychological constructs present in a sample of individuals with subjective tinnitus, the aim is to be able to make recommendations on possible focus areas for future research. The results of the study suggest the most significant finding related to the global factors of the 16PF5 is that 84.6% of the participants can be classified as accommodating. None of the participants can be described as independent, extraverted or abstract. More than half of the participants can be described as deferential and shy. None of the participants measured as self-assured. On the MCMI-III very few significant elevations were present. On the Anxiety scale 38.5% of participants fell into the insignificant and significant categories respectively. This is the only result for the MCMI-III where the insignificant score is not the highest, and thus is a noteworthy finding. Keywords: Cognitive behavioural therapy; Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III; Psychological constructs; Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire; Tinnitus.
Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
Psychology
MA
Unrestricted

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo determinar la validez de constructo y la eficiencia diagnóstica de las escalas Depresión Mayor y Trastorno de Ansiedad del Inventario Clínico Multiaxial de Millon-III (MCMI-III). Para ello, se aplicó el MCMI-III, el Inventario de Depresión de Beck y el Inventario de Ansiedad de Beck a 100 pacientes ambulatorios de un hospital de salud mental de Lima Metropolitana. La muestra estuvo conformada por 68 mujeres y 32 hombres, cuyas edades fluctúan entre los 18 y 56 años (M=30.53; DE=10.11). Al calcularse la validez de constructo, se encontró que las escalas del MCMI-III presentaban correlaciones convergentes con las otras medidas de depresión y ansiedad utilizadas; sin embargo, también mostraban una pobre habilidad para discriminar la sintomatología del trastorno que dicen medir y la de otra patología considerada en esta investigación. Asimismo, al calcular los criterios que sustentan la efectividad diagnóstica (sensibilidad, especificidad, poder predictivo positivo y poder predictivo negativo) para cada escala, se obtuvo que la escala Trastorno de Ansiedad presenta una mayor eficacia diagnóstica que la escala Depresión Mayor. No obstante, la escala Trastorno de Ansiedad brinda un porcentaje alto de falsos positivos; mientras que la escala Depresión Mayor brinda falsos negativos.
Tesis