Introducing the MMPI-3 (1.5 CEs)

This symposium introduces the MMPI-3 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3; Ben-Porath & Tellegen 2020), a 335-item version of the MMPI instruments designed to provide a comprehensive and efficient assessment of clinically relevant variables with updated items, scales, and norms. In the first presentation, MMPI-3 co-authors Yossef Ben-Porath and Auke Tellegen describe development of the MMPI-3, including preliminary studies, the methods used to collect MMPI-3 data used to develop, validate, and norm the test, the process and outcome of scale development and standardization, and the test manuals that will be available to guide MMPI-3 use. The presentation  includes a description of efforts that have produced over 25,000 MMPI-3 protocols collected in mental health, medical, forensic, public safety, community, and other non-clinical settings. In the second presentation, Danielle Burchett and Yossef Ben-Porath evaluate the MMPI-3 Validity scales. They specifically explored the utility of the MMPI-3 overreporting Validity Scales by comparing substantive scale criterion validity of subsamples classified as overreporters versus non-overreporters using outpatient pre-testing intake variables as external criteria. Overall, groups classified as overreporting evidenced lower associations between substantive scales and relevant criteria than those engaged in genuine responding. In the third presentation, Martin Sellbom and colleagues examine the four scales that are completely new to the MMPI-3, specifically, Eating Concerns (EAT), Compulsivity (CMP), Impulsivity (IMP), and Self-Importance (SFI) in two samples of university students (n=400) and community mental health patients (n=200). The EAT scale had large correlations with a range of eating disorder criterion measures in the university sample and the remaining three scale showed an impressive pattern of convergent and discriminant validity against maladaptive personality traits derived from both clinician-ratings and self-report in the mental health sample. In the fourth presentation, Dustin Wygant examined the validity of the MMPI-3 emotional and internalizing scales, which are organized per a hierarchical structure to capture broad to narrow-band facets of symptoms. This study examined the construct validity of the internalizing scales of the MMPI-3 in a sample of 264 undergraduate students who completed the measure along with the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms-2 (Watson et al., 2012). Results suggested strong evidence of convergent and discriminant validity for the internalizing scales on the MMPI-3. In the final presentation, Tayla Lee and colleagues examined the utility of the MMPI-3 in assessing excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, which are significant public health concerns (SAMHSA, 2017). MMPI-3 work in this respect is very limited and Lee and colleagues therefore addressed this need using data from 58 individuals recruited from the community. Results suggest scores on the MMPI-3 Substance Use (SUB) scale most consistently associated with excessive alcohol consumption, alcoholrelated symptoms, and Alcohol Use Disorder diagnoses.

Chair

Martin Sellbom | University of Otago

Discussant

Yossef Ben-Porath | Kent State University 

Goals & Objectives 

1. Describe the development of the MMPI-3. 
2. List the 52 MMPI-3 scales. 
3. Assess the utility of the MMPI-3 over-reporting scales and the MMPI-3 Substance Abuse Scale. 
4. Assess the validity of the four new MMPI-3 Specific Problems scales and the MMPI-3 internalizing scales.