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MMPI‐2 profiles of women differing in sexual abuse history and sexual orientation
Author(s) -
Griffith Penny L.,
Myers Rita W.,
Cusick Gary M.,
Tankersley Melody J.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(199712)53:8<791::aid-jclp2>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - sexual orientation , minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , psychology , sexual abuse , lesbian , multivariate analysis of variance , clinical psychology , psychiatry , depression (economics) , homosexuality , poison control , suicide prevention , personality , medicine , social psychology , machine learning , computer science , psychoanalysis , economics , macroeconomics , environmental health
Four groups of women ( N = 115) self‐identified as having histories of childhood sexual abuse or no such histories and self‐identified as either heterosexual or lesbian were compared using a questionnaire and the MMPI‐2. Subjects ranged in age from 21–60 years with 60% between ages 30–50 years. Results of a Three‐Way MANOVA for abuse history and sexual orientation repeated across MMPI‐2 clinical scales showed a between‐subjects effect for abuse, and within‐subjects effects for orientation and abuse. T scores of women with abuse histories were significantly higher than those of women without abuse histories on Hs, D, Pd, Pa, Pt, Sc, and Ma scales of the MMPI‐2. Profiles indicated an 8‐4 codetype and a Scarlett O'Hara V configuration for the group with abuse history. Heterosexual women obtained significantly higher t scores than did lesbians on the Depression scale. Results show that the MMPI‐2 can be used to help detect lesbian as well as heterosexual adults who were sexually molested as children. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 53: 791–800, 1997