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Assessing the effects of violence on women in battering relationships with the Keane MMPI‐PTSD scale
Author(s) -
Perrin Sean,
van Hasselt Vincent B.,
Basilio Isandy,
Hersen Michel
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.2490090409
Subject(s) - minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , clinical psychology , psychology , psychiatry , population , distress , poison control , psychometrics , personality , medicine , medical emergency , social psychology , environmental health
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)‐Keane Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Scale (PK) has proven to be a reliable and valid measure of PTSD in combat veterans. However, few studies have examined the scale's validity in battered women, who often present with PTSD. Using empirically derived cutoff scores for the PK Scale, 69 battered women were assigned to PTSD‐Positive and PTSD‐Negative groups and then compared on measures of PTSD, distress, social support, and history of abuse in and out of the battering relationship. The PTSD‐Positive group scored significantly higher across all measures of PTSD and distress, supporting the concurrent validity of the PK Scale in this population. However, the two groups differed only for the frequency of death threats, suggesting that the PK Scale is only mildly sensitive to the level of trauma exposure. Finally, lower levels of perceived social support were found in the PTSD‐Positive than the PTSD‐Negative group. Implications of these findings for the assessment of PTSD in battered women are discussed.