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MMPI overreporting by Vietnam combat veterans
Author(s) -
Hyer Lee,
Fallon Joseph H.,
Harrison William R.,
Boudewyns Patrick A.
Publication year - 1987
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 - 10.1002/1097-4679(198701)43:1<79::aid-jclp2270430110>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , psychology , exaggeration , clinical psychology , scale (ratio) , psychiatry , psychometrics , personality , social psychology , physics , quantum mechanics
The MMPI‐PTSD scale is the only psychometric measure that has been cross‐validated on Vietnam veterans for the determination of PTSD. Despite this, there may be problems with this scale related to symptom exaggeration. Three groups of Vietnam inpatients ( N = 75) were defined carefully by both clinical and actuarial methods—PTSD combat, Non‐PTSD combat, and Non‐combat. This study applied symptom exaggeration methods based on the MMPI obvious/subtle items and on the F scale to these groups. Results show that all the items of this scale are either obvious or neutral, that a carefully distinguished PTSD group differentially responds to these obvious or neutral items relative to other inpatient Vietnam groups, and that the F scale is exaggerated by the PTSD group. In addition, a separate analysis on an independent sample of 50 combat and 50 non‐combat Vietnam veterans showed that the combat group endorsed the obvious items on selected scales by 20 T score points at higher rates than other groups. Caution in the use of the MMPI‐PTSD scale is discussed.