VALIDITY OF THE MMPI (MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY) AS IT PERTAINS TO CANADIAN NATIVE INMATES

• NCJ Number: 67204
• Journal: Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: (APRIL 1980) Pages: 188-196
• Author(s): N MANDELZYS; E B LANE
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 9 pages
• Corporate Author: Canadian Assoc for the Prevention of Crime
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

THE VALIDITY AND PREDICTIVE VALUE OF THE MMPI (MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY) WITH REGARD TO CANADIAN NATIVE INMATES WAS TESTED ON A SAMPLE POPULATION OF 95 INMATES OF A MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON.

Abstract

THE STUDYU WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE IF THE MMPI IS EQUALLY VALID FOR A CANADIAN NATIVE POPULATION AS FOR NON-NATIVE OFFENDERS AND WHETHER IT HAS ANY PREDICTIVE VALUE WHEN RELATED TO RECIDIVISM PROBABILITY AND OFFENSE SEVERITY. THE SAMPLE POPULATION CONSISTED OF ALL 95 NATIVE INMATES (STATUS AND NON-STATUS INDIANS) ADMITTED TO THE REGIONAL PSYCHIATRIC CENTER IN ABBOTSFORD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, BETWEEN 1973 AND 1978. THE DATA COLLECTED INCLUDED THE SEVERITY OF THE MOST RECENT OFFENSE, THE PROBABILITY OF RECIDIVISM, THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND, AND PSYCHOMETRIC VARIABLES IN THE FORM OF MMPI SCALES AND INTELLIGENCE SCORES. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE REGRESSION METHOD; AND OFFENSE SEVERITY AND THE PROBABILITY OF RECIDIVISM WERE USED AS PREDICTORS IN RELATION TO THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND AND PSYCHOMETRIC VARIABLES. ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS, THE MMPI PROFILE APPEARS TO SUGGEST A HIGH DEGREE OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND/OR EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCES IN THE SAMPLE POPULATION. HOWEVER, IN VIEW OF SUPPORTING DATA FROM THE UNITED STATES, IT IS MORE LIKELY THAT THE TEST WAS NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD BY THE RESPONDENTS OR THAT THE ITEMS WERE UNDERSTOOD, BUT WERE SUBJECT TO ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATIONS. FROM THE DATA, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO STATE WHETHER THE ELEVATED PROFILE IS CHARACTERISTIC OF NATIVE PEOPLE IN GENERAL, NATIVE INMATES, OR WHETHER THE RESULTS ARE DUE TO CULTURAL BIAS. THE MMPI SCORE DO NOT LOGICALLY RELATE TO THE RELEVANT VARIABLES OF CRIMINAL HISTORY, RECIDIVISM ETEC. HENCE, SEVERE DOUBT MUST BE CAST ON THE TEST'S VALIDITY AND MEANINGFULNESS WITH REGARD TO CANADIAN NATIVES. THE ARTICLE INCLUDES STATISTICAL CHARTS AND BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES. (SAJ)