Comparison of MCMI-II and 16PF Validity Scales

We administered the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II; Millon, 1987) and the Sixteen Personality Factors Inventory (16PF; Cattell, Eber, & Tatsuoka, 1970) to 131 outpatients in marital therapy and tested the correlation between the validity scales of the two instruments. The results indicated that MCMI-II Disclosure and Debasement scales were positively correlated with the 16PF Fake-Bad scale and negatively correlated with the 16PF Fake-Good scale. The MCMI-II Desirability scale was significantly correlated with the 16PF Fake-Good scale.     

MCMI-II profiles of women with eating disorders: a cluster analytic investigation

A three-factor model of personality pathology was investigated in a clinical sample of 183 female patients in an outpatient eating disorders treatment program. Cluster analysis of MCMI-II personality scales (Millon, 1987) yielded three distinct personality profiles, which were consistent with previous studies. First, 16.9% of the sample comprised a High Functioning cluster, which manifested no clinical elevations on the MCMI-II and had significantly lower scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI; Garner; 1991) scales than the other two clusters. Second, 49.1% of the sample comprised an Undercontrolled/Dysregulated cluster. Finally, the remaining 34% of the sample comprised an Overcontrolled/Avoidant cluster. This final cluster had significantly higher EDI Ineffectiveness scale scores than the Undercontrolled/Dysregulated cluster group. Cluster membership was not associated with eating disorder subtype, suggesting that there is considerable variance in personality pathology within eating disorder diagnostic categories.     

The Rorschach Technique (Book)

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) overlapping and nonoverlapping scales were demonstrated to perform comparably to their original MMPI forms. They were then evaluated for convergent and discriminant validity with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) personality disorder scales. The MMPI-2 and MCMI-II personality disorder scales demonstrated convergent and discriminant coefficients similar to their original forms. However, the MMPI-2 personality scales classified significantly more of the sample as Dramatic, whereas the MCMI-II diagnosed more of the sample as Anxious. Furthermore, single-scale and 2-point code type classification rates were quite low, indicating that at the level of the individual, the personality disorder scales are not measuring comparable constructs. Hence, each instrument is providing similar and unique information, justifying their continued use together for the purpose of diagnosing personality disorders.     

Detection of dissimulation with the new generation of objective personality measures

This study investigated the effectiveness of two recently developed measures of psychopathology—the Basic Personality Inventory (BPI) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial (Inventory-II) (MCMI-II) in detecting dissimulation (i.e., faking good and faking bad). Both personality measures have developed special ‘validity scales’ to discern dissimulating responses. Ninety-one undergraduate students completed the two personality scales under one of three instructional sets: fake good, fake bad, and honest. In general, the results indicated that both scales were effective in distinguishing the groups from one another. The MCMI-II was better at detecting fake bad responding, while the BPI appeared to be more effective in detecting fake good responding. These differences in identifying fake good and fake bad response styles can be attributed to the method in which the scales were constructed.     

Personality and Coping Styles in the Prediction of Dropout From Treatment for Cocaine Abuse

This study was designed to distinguish between dropouts and completers of residential therapeutic community treatment for cocaine abuse on the basis of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II (MCMI-II; Millon,1987) and Ways of Coping Checklist (WCCL; Folkman, Lazarus, Dunkel-Schetter, DeLoagis, & Gruen, 1986) scales, which measure detached, dependent, and independent personality and coping styles. Dropouts were differentiated from completers in two discriminant functions defined, in part, by scores on scales that tap a fiercely independent orientation with manipulative, exploitive, and confrontive interpersonal features. Also contributing to the discriminant functions identified in this study were scores on scales that measure responsiveness to direction from others associated with strong desire for social approval and ability to establish self-control of emotional and behavioral reactions.     

MCMI-II Item Weights: Their Lack of Effectiveness

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II (MCMI-II; Millon, 1987) results from 134 patients were scored twice; with and without the item weights. The results showed that the correlations between the weighted and unweighted versions of the same scales were extremely high, exceeding .90 in all cases. Furthermore, weighting did not significantly reduce the correlations among the scales, either within each of the four syndrome/pattern categories of the MCMI-II, or between categories. It is concluded that item weighting reduces the access of the MCMI-II by clinicians, without increasing its psychometric properties.     

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This study explored the effect of defensive (i. e., fake-good) responding by substance-abusing patients on the scale scores of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II; Millon, 1987). Patients asked to respond honestly (N = 62) had significantly higher scores on most of the scales than patients who were instructed to respond defensively (N = 62) and forensic subjects suspected of abusing psychoactive substances (N = 54). Significantly fewer subjects in the defensive responding simulation and the forensic group had elevated the Drug Dependence and Alcohol Dependence scales compared to the honestly responding patients. These results indicate that most drug-abusing individuals can conceal the presence of a substance-related disorder, as reflected by scale scores on the MCMI-II, if motivated to do so.     

Factor analysis of MCMI-II and PACL basic personality scales in a college sample

This study examined factor dimensions common to the eight basic personality scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II; Millon, 1987) and Personality Adjective Check List (PACL; Strack, 1987, 1990). Subjects were 140 college students (65 men and 75 women). MCMI-II weighted raw scores (WRS) and WRS corrected for number of items endorsed true by regression were employed for analysis along with PACL T-scores. Principal components analyses with varimax and direct oblimin rotations were carried out separately on the two sets of MCMI-II and PACL scores. MCMI-II and PACL scales measuring the same personalities were usually correlated most highly with each other, although some divergences were noted. WRS yielded three bipolar dimensions and a fourth unipolar method factor that loaded only the five MCMI-II scales that were strongly correlated with number of items endorsed true. Residual scores yielded a more meaningful set of three bipolar dimensions labeled Social Introversion-Extraversion, Emotionality-Restraint, and Social Dominance-Submissiveness, without the method factor, that were very similar to personality dimensions found separately in the two tests. More research is needed to clarify the response bias issue in the MCMI-II and to further explicate similarities and differences between the MCMI-II and the PACL.     

Factor Analysis of MCMI-II and PACL Basic Personality Scales in a College Sample

This study examined factor dimensions common to the eight basic personality scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxiat Inventory-II (MCMI-II; Millon, 1987) and Personality Adjective Check List (PACL; Strack, 1987, 1990). Subjects were 140 college students (65 men and 75 women). MCMI-II weighted raw scores (WRS) and WRS corrected for number of items endorsed true by regression were employed for analysis along with PACL T-scores. Principal components analyses with varimax and direct oblimin rotations were carried out separately on the two sets of MCMI-II and PACL scores. MCMI-II and PACL scales measuring the same personalities were usually correlated most highly with each other, although some divergences were noted. WRS yielded three bipolar dimensions and a fourth unipolar method factor that loaded only the five MCMI-II scales that were strongly correlated with number of items endorsed true. Residual scores yielded a more meaningful set of three bipolar dimensions labeled Social IntroversionExtraversion, Emotionality-Restraint, and Social Dominance-Submissiveness, without the method factor, that were very similar to personality dimensions found separately in the two tests. More research is needed to clarify the response bias issue in the MCMI-II and to further explicate similarities and differences between the MCMI-II and the PACL.     

Personality characteristics of ADHD adults assessed with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II: evidence of four distinct subtypes

This study compared the personality characteristics of 104 adults diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Personality features were assessed with the MCMI-II (Millon, 1987). Participants were divided into 4 groups based on the presence of persisting oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or other comorbid diagnoses (ADHD only, ADHD-comorbid, ADHD-ODD, ADHD-ODD-comorbid). Significant differences between these groups were present for 9 of the 13 MCMI-II personality scales, resulting in 4 modal personality styles. ADHD-only adults evidenced mild histrionic traits, whereas the ADHD-comorbid group was more often avoidant and dependent in personality style. ADHD-ODD adults showed histrionic, narcissistic, aggressive-sadistic, and negativistic traits whereas the ADHD-ODD-comorbid group had a combination of avoidant, narcissistic, antisocial, aggressive-sadistic, negativistic, and self-defeating personality features. Implications for treatment are discussed.     

MCMI-III Diagnostic Validity: Bad Test or Bad Validity Study

Operating characteristics describe the validity of tests that attempt to dichotomously predict a diagnosis. These statistics are not fully published in the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III Manual (MCMI-III manual Millon, 1994) When calculated from available statistics, the positive predictive powers of the MCMI-III scales are poor both in absolute terms and relative to the MCMI-II (Millon, 1987). There were a number of problems, however, with the initial MCMI-III validity study both inherently and in execution. Although it is doubtful that the MCMI-III is weaker than the MCMI-II, a new validity is needed.     

Bias and Millon clinical multiaxial inventory (MCMI-II) diagnosis

In the current study, the degree of bias is calculated for each of the personality disorder and clinical syndrome scales of the MCMI-II. In general, most of the MCMI-II scales are prone to only mild or moderate biases. However, the paranoid personality disorder, somatoform, bipolar: manic, thought disorder, and delusional disorder scales are prone to severe biases. When the MCMI-II is utilized to make diagnostic decisions, bipolar and schizophrenic disorders are apt to be grossly underestimated. The implications of bias in diagnostic prevalence rates are discussed and an equation is offered which provides for adjustments to be made when the percentage of positive MCMI-II test results are used to determine prevalence rates for clinical or research populations. The observation is made that imperfect sensitivity and specificity for the MCMI-II scales will result in inaccurate estimates of personality disorders and clinical syndromes when the MCMI-II is used to survey various populations.     

An examination of three sets of MMPI-2 personality disorder scales

Three sets of personality disorder scales (PD scales) can be scored for the MMPI-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989). Two sets (Levitt & Gotts, 1995; Morey, Waugh, & Blashfield, 1985) are derived from the MMPI (Hathaway & McKinley, 1983), and a third set (Somwaru & Ben-Porath, 1995) is based on the MMPI-2. There is no validity research for the Levitt and Gotts scale, and limited validity research is available for the Somwaru and Ben-Porath scales. There is a large body of research suggesting that the Morey et al. scales have good to excellent convergent validity when compared to a variety of other measures of personality disorders. Since the Morey et al. scales have established validity, there is a question if additional sets of PD scales are needed. The primary purpose of this research was to determine if the PD scales developed by Levitt and Gotts and those developed by Somwaru and Ben-Porath contribute incrementally to the scales developed by Morey et al. in predicting corresponding scales on the MCMI-II (Millon, 1987). In a sample of 494 individuals evaluated at an Army medical center, a hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that the Somwaru and Ben-Porath Borderline, Antisocial, and Schizoid PD scales and the Levitt and Gotts Narcissistic and Histrionic scales contributed significantly and meaningfully to the Morey et al. scales in predicting the corresponding MCMI-II (Millon, 1987) scale. However, only the Somwaru and Ben-Porath scales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and convergent validity.     

MCMI-II scoring: weighted and unweighted algorithms

This brief report examines the relationship between the scale scores derived through weighted and unweighted item scoring on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II). The inventories of 356 subjects across three samples were scored using weighted and unweighted algorithms. Correlations between the weighted and unweighted MCMI-II scales were found to approach unity. This casts doubt on whether the weighting system has substantial effect on the profiles that are generated or on reducing interscale correlations.     

An MCMI-II item-level component analysis: personality and clinical factors

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, Version 2 (MCMI-II) was released to replace the MCMI-I. Research into the factor structure of the items of the MCMI-I showed components consistent with the underlying construction theory. No such work has been done with the new MCMI-II. For this study, we analyzed the personality disorder and clinical syndrome items across two subject samples. For 579 Veterans Administration patients and 492 normal college students, six personality factors were identified. The samples shared Hostility, Histrionic/Schizoid, Dependent, Compulsive, and a Sadistic variant. For the clinical syndrome items, eight factors were isolated for veterans and seven for normals. Depression, Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse, Crying, and Mania were shared factors. Most of the factors were found to be highly consistent with MCMI-II scale keyings.     

Convergent validity of the MCMI-III personality disorder scales and the MMPI-2 scales

The MCMI-III personality disorder scales (Millon, 1994) were empirically validated in a sample of prisoners, psychiatric inpatients, and outpatients (N = 477). The scale intercorrelations were congruent with those obtained by Millon, Davis, and Millon (1997). We conclude that our Flemish/Dutch version shows no significant differences with the original version of the MCMI-III as far as intercorrelations are concerned. Convergent validity of the MCMI-III personality disorder scales was evaluated by the correlational data between the MCMI-III personality disorder scales and the MMPI-2 clinical (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) and personality disorder (Somwaru & Ben-Porath, 1995) scales. Improved convergence was obtained compared with previous versions of the MCMI-I. Only the compulsive MCMI-III personality disorder scale remains problematic. The scale even showed negative correlations with some of the related clinical scales and with the corresponding personality disorder scales of the MMPI-2.     

MCMI-II Scoring: Weighted and Unweighted Algorithms

This brief report examines the relationship between the scale scores derived through weighted and unweighted item scoring on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II). The inventories of 356 subjects across three Samples were scored using weighted and unweighted algorithms. Correlations between the weighted and unweighted MCMI-II scales were found to approach unity. This casts doubt on whether the weighting system has substantial effect on the profiles that are generated or on reducing interscale correlations.     

A comparison of the MCMI-III personality disorder and modifier indices with the MMPI-2 clinical and validity scales

In this study, we examined the relationship of the MCMI-III (Millon, Davis, & Millon, 1997; Millon, Millon, & Davis, 1994) modifier indices and personality disorder scales to the validity and basic clinical scales of the MMPI-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989). The MCMI-III modifier indices highly correlated with all of the MMPI-2 validity scales except for the F(p) scale. Similarly, the MCMI-III personality disorder scales strongly covaried with the MMPI-2 validity and clinical scales except for the F(p) and 5 (Mf) scales. A factor analysis with Promax rotation revealed substantial relationships between the MMPI-2 and MCMI-III. However, the MMPI-2 F(p) scale did not tend to correlate with MMPI-2 or MCMI-III scales, indicating that F(p) scale variance was largely independent of other scales. The results suggest that clinicians should consider the interrelationship between personality characteristics and dissimulation.     

The MCMI-II depression scales: do they assist in the differential prediction of depressive disorders?

This study examined the diagnostic efficiency of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) Major Depression (CC) and Dysthymia (D) scales for the differential prediction of unipolar depressive disorders. The MCMI-II was administered to 109 inpatients at a large private psychiatric hospital in the Midwest. All patients had a primary Axis I diagnosis of a depressive disorder, given at discharge by the attending psychiatrists. When CC scores were compared to clinician diagnoses, results indicated that the sensitivity of the CC scale was improved over what had previously been reported for studies involving the MCMI-I CC scale. However, overall, the D scale functioned slightly better as a predictor of major depression than did the CC scale. One likely factor in explaining this finding is that the CC scale contains very few items assessing vegetative/somatic symptomatology, which are the critical factors in distinguishing major depression from other unipolar depressive disorders.     

Diagnosing personality disorders: an examination of the MMPI-2 and MCMI-II

Personality disorders are highly prevalent in clinical populations and affect outcomes across all forms of intervention. This investigation examined the diagnostic efficiency of two widely used, self-report measures of personality disorder (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989; MCMI-II; Millon, 1987), as compared to a structured interview (SCID-II; Spitzer et al., 1987) diagnosis. The measures were administered to 150 residential and outpatient volunteer subjects. Persons with primary organic or psychotic-spectrum disorders were excluded from participation. Results were variable across disorders measured, with low to moderate levels of diagnostic agreement observed. The MCMI-II appears to be a more sensitive measure, whereas the MMPI-2 is more specific. The two self-report measures demonstrated greater convergence with each other than with the interview measure. Both the MMPI-2 and MCMI-II were more accurate at identifying the absence of a given disorder. Although overall diagnostic powers exist at acceptable levels. the results suggest that diagnoses generated by self-report versus interview are not interchangeable.