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Effect of Severe Stress on the Maudsley Personality Inventory Score in Normal Subjects
Author(s) -
HARE E. H.,
PAYNE HELLY,
LAURENCE K. M.,
RAWNSLEY K.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
british journal of social and clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0007-1293
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1972.tb00826.x
Subject(s) - psychology , personality , spina bifida , significant difference , test (biology) , personality assessment inventory , psychological testing , mental health , clinical psychology , psychiatry , pediatrics , medicine , social psychology , paleontology , biology
The short form of the Maudsley Personality Inventory was given up to four times to 146 mothers of spina bifida children and 78 control mothers of normal children, as part of an investigation into the social and psychological effects upon the family of the birth of a seriously malformed infant. The first test was given shortly after the birth, often when the mother was still in hospital, and the retests were carried out one month, one year and two years later, at home. There was no significant difference in the scores according to the venue of the test and there was no difference in mean E or N scores between the cases and controls. Among the cases, the N score increased significantly over successive occasions where a child's handicap was severe or moderate. N scores were closely related to the mothers' self‐reported nervous health and, among the cases, nervous health was closely related to the severity of the child's handicap. The findings are considered to add to the evidence that the MPI score is influenced by a disturbance of mental state.