The construct validity of the MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2) College Maladjustment (Mt) Scale was examined using 376 student clients at a university psychological clinic. A principal components analysis and correlations of Mt scale scores with clients’ and therapists’ ratings of symptoms and functioning showed that the Mt scale identifies the presence of maladjustment as defined in terms of depressive and anxious symptoms. There is no evidence to show that the scale is specific to college students or that it is sensitive to severe psychological disturbance. The Mt scale does not inform the clinician as to why a person is distressed. In addition, there is no evidence from this study to suggest the superiority of the Mt scale over other MMPI-2 maladjustment measures. Therapists should use the entire MMPI-2 profile, not just the Mt scale, to gain the most comprehensive and specific understanding of clients.
American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., Rev. ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
Barron, F. (1953). An ego strength scale which predicts response to psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 17, 327-333.
3.
Bishop, J. B. (1990). The university counseling center: An agenda for the 90’s. Journal of Counseling and Development, 68, 408-413.
4.
Butcher, J. N., Dahlstrom, W. G., Graham, J. R., Ben-Porath, Y. S., Tellegen, A., & Kaemmer, B. (2001). MMPI-2: (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2): Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
5.
Butcher, J. N., Graham, J. R., & Ben-Porath, Y. S. (1995). Methodological problems and issues in MMPI, MMPI-2, and MMPI-A research. Psychological Assessment, 7, 320-329.
6.
Carrington, P., Collings, G. H., Bensch, H., Robinson, H., Wood, L. W., Lehrer, P. M., et al. (1980). The use of meditation-relaxation techniques for the management of stress in a working population. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 22, 221-231.
7.
Cooke, J. K. (1967). MMPI in actuarial diagnosis of psychological disturbance among college males. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 14, 474-477.
8.
Danet, B. N. (1965). Prediction of mental illness in college students on the basis of “nonpsychiatric” MMPI profiles. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 29, 577-580.
9.
Davis, D. A., & Widseth, J. C. (1977). Prediction of help-seeking with the MMPI: The problem of base rates. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 33, 995-1000.
10.
Derogatis, L. R. (1983). SCL-90-R: Administration, scoring, and procedures manual-II. Towson, MD: Clinical Psychometric Research.
11.
Derogatis, L. R., Rickels, K., & Rock, A. F. (1976). The SCL-90 and the MMPI: A step in the validation of a new self-report scale. British Journal of Psychiatry, 128, 280-289.
12.
Drake, L. E., & Oetting, E. R. (1959). An MMPI codebook for counselors. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
13.
Dworkin, D. S., & Lyddon, W. J. (1991). Managing demands on counseling services: The Colorado State University experience. Journal of Counseling and Development, 69, 402-407.
14.
Garfield, S. L. (1994). Research on client variables in psychotherapy. In A. E. Bergin and S. L. Garfield (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (pp. 190-228). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
15.
Graham, J. R. (2000). MMPI-2: Assessing personality and psychopathology (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
16.
Graham, J. R., Barthlow, D. L., Stein, L. A. R., Ben-Porath, Y. S., & McNulty, J. L. (2002). Assessing general maladjustment with the MMPI-2. Journal of Personality Assessment, 78, 334-347.
17.
Graham, J. R., Ben-Porath, Y. S., & McNulty, J. L. (1999). MMPI-2 correlates for outpatient mental health settings. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
18.
Graham, J. R., Watts, D., & Timbrook, R. E. (1991). Detecting fake-good and fake-bad MMPI-2 profiles. Journal of Personality Assessment, 57, 264-277.
19.
Guinee, J. P., & Ness, M. E. (2000). Counseling centers of the 1990’s: Challenges and changes. Counseling Psychologist, 28, 267-280.
20.
Hathaway, S. R., & McKinley, J. C. (1942). The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
21.
Hawkes, G. R. (1950). Use of MMPI in screening college students for counseling purposes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 41, 116-121.
22.
Johnson, R. W. (1970). A configural scoring of the MMPI and diagnosis in counseling. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 26, 84-86.
23.
Kleinmuntz, B. (1960). Identification of maladjusted college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 7, 209-211.
24.
Kleinmuntz, B. (1961). The college maladjustment scale (Mt): Norms and predictive validity. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 21, 1029-1033.
25.
Kuczka, T., & Handal, P. J. (1990). Validity of the College Maladjustment Scale for identification of distressed students. Psychological Reports, 67, 730.
26.
Lambert, M. J., & Hill, C. E. (1994). Assessing psychotherapy outcomes and processes. In A. E. Bergin & S. L. Garfield (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (pp. 72-113). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
27.
Lauterbach, D., Garcia, M., & Gloster, A. (2002). Psychometric properties and predictive validity of the Mt Scale of the MMPI-2. Assessment, 9, 390-400.
28.
May, R. J. (1991). Effects of waiting for clinical services on attrition, problem resolution, satisfaction, attitudes toward psychotherapy, and treatment outcome: A review of the literature. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 22, 209-214.
29.
Merker, B. M., & Smith, J. V. (2001). Validity of the MMPI-2 College Maladjustment Scale. Journal of College Counseling, 4, 3-9.
30.
Owen, D. R. (1970). Classification of MMPI profiles from nonpsychiatric populations using 2 codebook systems. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 26, 79-82.
31.
Parker, C. A. (1961). Letter to the editor. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 8, 88-89.
32.
Robbins, S. B., May, R. M., & Corazzini, J. G. (1985). Perceptions of client needs and counseling center staff roles and functions. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32, 641-644.
33.
Schinka, J. A., LaLone, L., & Greene, G. L. (1998). Effects of psychopathology and demographic characteristics on MMPI-2 scale scores. Journal of Personality Assessment, 70, 197-211.
34.
Stewart, D. W. (1994). Using the MMPI-2 College Maladjustment Scale in a Canadian university setting. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 28, 135-141.
35.
Stewart, D. W. (1996). Predicting counselling service utilization patterns with the MMPI-2 College Maladjustment Scale. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 30, 211-216.
36.
Stewart, D. W., & Cairns, S. L. (2002). Objective versus subjective evaluation of student distress at intake: Considerations for counseling centers. Journal of College Student Development, 43, 386-394.
37.
Stone, G. L., & Archer, J. (1990). College and university counseling centers in the 90’s: Challenges and limits. The Counseling Psychologist, 18, 539-607.
38.
Strupp, H. H., & Bloxom, A. L. (1975). An approach to defining a patient population in psychotherapy research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22, 231-233.
39.
Svanum, S., & Ehrmann, L. C. (1993). Screening for maladjustment in college students: An application of receiver operating characteristic curve to MMPI scales. Journal of Personality Assessment, 60, 397-410.
40.
Terwilliger, J. S., & Fiedler, F. E. (1958). An investigation of determinants inducing individuals to seek personal counseling. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 22, 288.
41.
Weissman, M. M., Slobertz, F., Prusoff, B., Mezritz, M., & Howard, P. (1976). Clinical depression among narcotic addicts maintained on methadone in the community. American Journal of Psychiatry, 133, 1434-1439.
42.
Wewers, M. L., & Lowe, N. K. (1990). A critical review of visual analogue scales in the measurement of clinical phenomena. Research in Nursing and Health, 13, 227-236.
43.
Wilderman, J. E. (1984). An investigation of the clinical utility of the College Maladjustment Scale. Unpublished master’s thesis, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.
