Date of Award

12-2019

Document Type

Doctoral Research Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Radhika Krishnamurthy

Second Advisor

Vida L. Tyc

Third Advisor

John F. Lavelle

Fourth Advisor

Lisa A. Steelman

Abstract

Past personality assessment research using MMPI instruments has examined their use in a variety of contexts, including in healthcare settings. The utility of the more recently developed Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2- RF), however, has not been examined in these contexts to the same degree. The present study evaluated differences between MMPI-2-RF scores in a sample of 154 adult outpatient community mental health clients who (a) reported a preexisting physical condition in conjunction with psychological symptoms (n = 66), (b) were either in the process of applying for or were already receiving Social Security disability compensation (n = 30), or (c) reported purely psychological disturbance (n = 58). Multivariate analysis revealed significant differences among the scores on six (12.2%) of the 49 MMPI-2-RF scales of interest in this study (i.e., all scales excluding the two Interest scales). Subsequent univariate and post-hoc analyses demonstrated differences between the Social Security disability compensation group and comorbid complaints group on three (6.1%) of the 49 scales examined, between the Social Security disability compensation group and psychological complaints group on six (12.2%) of these 49 scales, and between the psychological complaints and comorbid complaints on one (2%) scale. Hierarchical linear regression results revealed that the three scales identified as significantly different between the Social Security disability compensation and comorbid complaints groups accounted for 13% of the variance in score differences between these groups. A second hierarchical linear regression analysis demonstrated the six scales that were significantly different between the Social Security disability compensation and psychological complaints groups collectively accounted for 30% of the variance between these groups. Simple linear regression results indicated the one scale found to be significantly different between the psychological complaints and comorbid complaints groups accounted for 4% of the variance between these groups. Overall, the nature of the differences that emerged between the three groups was such that: (a) the Social Security disability compensation group reported a broad array of symptoms across several domains, including experiences of negative affect, internalization of emotion, somatic concerns, pessimism, and disturbances in interpersonal interactions; (b) the comorbid conditions group reported both somatic and psychological symptoms consistent with the nature of their presenting concerns; and (c) the psychological complaints group primarily reported emotional dysfunction with fewer somatic symptoms than those reported by the other two groups. Contributions, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

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