Evaluated were MMPI data of 105 male chronic alcoholics and drug addicts with a large proportion (21.9%) of false negatives on the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale (a measure of addictive personality). As expected, the proportion of elevated Repression Scale scores (T scores > 60) was significantly higher for false negatives (52.2%) than for true positives (11%) and also significantly higher than for true negatives in a control group of 20 non-addicted psychiatric outpatients (8.3%). Elevated Repression scores may serve as a warning sign of possible false negatives in routine MMPI screening for addictions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarronF.An ego strength scale which predicts response to psychotherapy. J. consult. Psychol., 1953, 17, 327–333.
2.
CernovskyZ.BeaumasterE.Alcohol use and personality change following treatment for alcoholism at St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital. St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital Res. Bull., 1982, 1, 1–95.
3.
DuckworthJ. C.AndersonW.New scales. In DuckworthJ. C. (Ed.), MMPI interpretation manual for counselors and clinicians. (2nd ed.) Muncie, IN: Accelerated Development, 1979. Pp. 183–256.
4.
HathawayS. R.BriggsF.Some normative data on new MMPI scales. J. clin. Psychol., 1957, 13, 364–368.
5.
MacAndrewC.The differentiation of male alcoholic outpatients from nonalcoholic psychiatric outpatients by means of the MMPI. Quart. J. Stud. on Alcohol, 1965, 26, 238–246.
6.
MacAndrewC.What the MAC scale tells us about men alcoholics, an interpretative review. J. Stud. on Alcohol, 1981, 42, 604–625.
7.
PeckD. F.The conversion of Progressive Matrices and Mill Hill vocabulary raw scores into deviation IQs. J. clin. Psychol., 1970, 26, 67–70.
8.
RavenJ. C.Guide to using Progressive Matrices. London: Lewis, 1960.
9.
WelshG. S.Factor dimensions A and R. In WelshG. S.DahlstromW. G. (Eds.), Basic readings on the MMPI in psychology and medicine. Minneapolis, MN: Univer. of Minnesota Press, 1956. Pp. 264–281.
