Marital Distress in Missionaries as Measured by the MMPI-2-RF Interpersonal Scales

Abstract

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) is a briefer revision of the MMPI-2. The archived MMPI-2 profiles of 214 evangelical missionaries were analyzed to explore the relationship among the MMPI-2-RF newly constructed interpersonal scales, the RC scales, and missionary distress. Missionary husbands and wives were placed into two groups based on marital types (conflicted and non-conflicted) and again into three groups based on presenting issues (marital, family, and non-family distress). The results lend support to the use of the MMPI-2-RF Family Problems (FML), Interpersonal Passivity (IPP), and Shyness (SHY) interpersonal scales along with the RC4 scale as a basic screening instrument for post-selection, pre-deployment missionaries with marital distress. Consequently, the MMPI-2-RF may be able to inform us in new ways. Recommendations for counselors and missionary boards are discussed.

Keywords

MMPI-2-RF evangelical missionaries marital couples

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