Mexican Americans' performance on the MMPI as a function of level of acculturation

The African American Acculturation Scale: Development, Reliability, and Validity

This article describes the development, reliability, and validity of the African American Acculturation Scale. This 74-item scale has good construct and concurrent validity. The eight subscales, assessing eight dimensions of African American culture, have high internal consistency reliability, and the scale as a whole has high split-half reliability. African Americans'scores on the scale were unrelated to social class, gender, and education. The needfor cross-validation of the scale andfor specific research projects using it are detailed.

Reliability and Validity of the Hispanic Stress Inventory

Thlis study examined the reliability and validitv of a newly developed instrument to assess psychosocial stress amonig Hispanic adults, the Hispanic Stress Inventory (HSI). A community pilot sample (N = 493) was obtained using the HSI along with a variety of criterion measures. Factor analytic procedures resulted in two versions of the HSI, one for Hispanic immigrants and a second for U.S. born Hispanics. Sub-scale scores and total HSI scores for both versions were found to correlate strongly with criterion measures of psychological distress. Further, sub-scales and HSI total scores were found to have high levels of internal consistency. A small sample test-retest proved to lend additional support for the reliability of the HSI. Results are discussed in terms of the need for further validation antd reliability studies using the HSI, as well as the clinical and research utilit of this measure of psychological stress.

Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II: A Revision of the Original ARSMA Scale

The Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans (ARSMA) was revised for the purpose of developing an instrument that assessed acculturation processes through an orthogonal, multidimensional approach by measuring cultural orientation toward the Mexican culture and the Anglo culture independently. Two subscales, Anglo Orientation Subcale (AOS) and Mexican Orientation Subscale (MOS), were developed from items from the original ARSMA scale. The two cultural orientation subscales were found to have good internal reliabilities (Cronbach's Alpha = .86 and .88 for the AOS and the MOS, respectively. The revised scale (ARSMA-JJ) yielded a high Pearson correlation coefficient (r = .89) with the original scale. Strong construct validity of ARSMA -II was demonstrated using a sample of 379 individuals representing generations I to 5. ARSMA-II is multifactorial and capable of generating multidimensional acculturative types, for example, integrated, separated, assimilated and marginalized.

Culturally Competent MMPI Assessment of Hispanic Populations

Culturally competent assessment practice is now mandated by the 1992 APA Ethical Code. Culturally competent assessment practice is described as a contextfor discussing the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of "corrections" currently available for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory with Hispanic populations. These "corrections" include moderator variables, special scales, special norms, translations, and aids to interpretation. Interim usage of these "corrections" and simultaneous development of new tests and diagnostic standards that fully acknowledge cultural diversity are recommendedfor compliance with the ethical code.

DSM-IV: Implications for Hispanic Children and Adolescents

Hispanic children and adolescents are a rapidly growing segment of the general population. The mental health needs of this group of youth are thought to be at least equal to the needs of nonminority children. Culturally appropriate diagnostic, treatment, and evaluation servicesfor this group of Hispanic youth are much needed so that ethical and appropriate mental health and educational services can be provided. This article provides an overview of the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV. Highlighted in this article is a discussion of the validity and reliability of the diagnostic categories included in the DSM-IV. An extensive review of the literature reveals few empirical studies related to the validity and reliability of the DSM when used with Hispanic children and adolescents. This review of the existing literature, as well as the clinical experiences of the authors, provide the basis for some general guidelines in the use of the DSM-IV such that diagnostic errors with Hispanic children and adolescents can be minimized.

Meta-Analysis of Latino Students' Adjustment in Higher Education

Meta-analytic review of 44 studies exploring Latino students'psychological adjustment to postsecondary education over the past 2 decades revealed that, compared toAnglos, Latino students scored higher on academic andfinancial stress measures and valuing of education. These and other findings were statistically significant, but the practical significance (ie., effect sizes) of much of this literature was small. In order to increase the magnitude of effect sizes, it was recommended that ethnic classification be based not on demographic variables, but on psychological indices of ethnicity. Furthermore, more culturally relevant dependent variables should inprove the quality of research conducted on Latino university students.

Adverse Impact, Unfairness, and Bias in the Psychological Screening of Hispanic Peace Officers

This investigator evaluated the role of adverse impact in the use of psychological screening tests such as the MMPI and CPIfor selection of California Highway Patrol officer candidates and other peace officers. The research literature was reviewedfor reports ofsignificant Hispanic-Anglo-American test score differences. A meta-analysis was performed of studies that had been correctedfor the effects of moderator variables. The data showed little interstudy reliability or stability in the report of MMPI basic scale differences with the exception of the L scale. In 13 out of 16 studies, Hispanics scored significantly higher on the L scale than Anglos with an effect size of .56. Results are discussed at different levels, from the item level to the ethical level. Overall, the only adverse impact noted was the significantly higher failure rate of Hispanics on a pretest written exam.

The Importance of Acculturation in Understanding Research with Hispanic-Americans

This article provides a brief review of empirical studies that have addressed the role of acculturation across a variety of psychosocial variables (ie., family socialization, social-support networks, alcoholism, and psychosocial adjustment). Special attention is given to two methodological weaknesses inherent across studies: the lack of a satisfactory scale to assess the complex construct of acculturation and the excessive reliance on self-reports for information perceived as "personal" to Hispanics. Taking such weaknesses into consideration, recommendations to improve future research are presented.

MMPI-A profiles of Hispanic adolescents

A study was conducted to compare validity, clinical, content, and supplementary scale scores of Hispanic adolescents to normative data on the MMPI-A. Volunteers, 30 boys, 17 girls, were Hispanic adolescents, aged 14 to 18 years from school and after-school settings. Analysis indicated elevated T score means on F1 (66), F2 (68), F (68), L (61), Hs (61), D (63), Sc (62), A-hea (63), A-biz (63), A-lse (61), A-las (60), A-sch (61), and IMM (61) scales for boys. Scores for low aspirations, low self-esteem, immaturity, and school problems were all interrelated. For girls, scores on no scales were elevated, but on several scales mean T scores, Hs, Hy, Ma, Si, A-anx, A-obs, A-hea, A-ang, A-las, MAC-R, and ACK, were below average. This suggests the MMPI-A may underpathologize for girls. Consistent with previous findings, the boys scored higher on the Immaturity Scale than the girls. It was speculated that the boys' dislike for school and low aspirations were related to the lower education and employment of their fathers compared to those for the normative sample. The A-las, A-sch, and IMM scales may prove to be useful in identifying adolescent boys "at-risk" for dropping out of school, if replication with much larger samples confirms present findings.

Acculturation and MMPI-2 scale scores of Mexican American substance abuse patients

No significant correlation was found between a linear acculturation score derived from the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II and the scale scores of the MMPI-2, for 100 Mexican American men.

The influence of acculturation and racial identity attitudes on Mexican-Americans' MMPI-2 performance

Examination of the relationships among acculturation, racial identity, and the newly revised MMPI is warranted. This study investigated the degree to which racial identity influences Mexican-Americans' performance on the L, K, and MF scales of the MMPI-2. Also investigated were individual differences in performance on the L, K, and MF scales as a function of acculturation. Fifty-one Mexican-American undergraduates from Washington State University participated by completing an acculturation scale, a racial identity attitude scale, and the MMPI-2. Results indicated that performance on the L and K scales is influenced by racial identity attitudes and levels of acculturation, however, no evidence was found to suggest a relationship between cultural variables and performance on the MF scale.

Mexican- and Anglo-American Differences on the Psychological Screening Inventory

This study investigated differences between Mexican- and Anglo-American college students on the Psychological Screening Inventory (PSI; Lanyon, 1970, 1973)-a brief personality instrument designed to detect persons who might benefit from more extensive evaluations in mental health settings. Further, this study controlled for the Mexican Americans' acculturation level, age, and socioeconomic status (SES), as these variables have routinely been shown to covary with other psychosocial variables. From data on 107 Mexican-American and 105 Anglo-American college students, we found that Mexican-American subjects had higher PSI scores on the Alienation and Defensiveness subscales and lower scores on the Social Nonconformity and Expression subscales than did Anglo-American subjects. With acculturation covaried, however, these differences were no longer statistically significant. With age and SES covaried, the two ethnic groups differed on Alienation, Expression, and Defensiveness, suggesting that Mexican Americans' performance on the PSI varies as a function of acculturation, age, and SES. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Hispanic-American MMPI research (1949-1992): a comprehensive bibliography

The purpose of this article is twofold. The first is to outline key events in the history of Hispanic MMPI research. Since 1949, researchers have documented the MMPI performance of Hispanic-Americans in a variety of clinical and nonclinical settings. The second purpose is to present a comprehensive bibliography of Hispanic MMPI research by research setting. A total of 86 studies are listed in this bibliography.

MMPI response patterns of college students: comparisons to adolescents and adults

The consistent finding that normal adolescents endorse more MMPI items in the deviant direction than do normal adults, reflected in reliable adolescent-adult differences on the item, scale, and profile levels, suggests a developmental perspective. This perspective also implies that college students' MMPI mean raw scores might be expected to fall between means typically obtained for adolescents and adults. We examined 17 studies of college volunteer samples to evaluate this hypothesis. Findings showed that college student mean values do fall between adolescent and adult means, most strikingly on scales F, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9. It is recommended that more attention be given to the status of college students as a special population with distinctive MMPI characteristics.

Comparison of Anglo- and Mexican-Americans on the 16PF administered in Spanish or English

The 16PF was administered in either Spanish or English to 546 Anglo- or Mexican-Americans separated into three ethnicity/test language groups: Anglos tested in English, Mexican-Americans tested in Spanish, and Mexican-Americans tested in English. Multivariate and univariate statistics revealed significant differences among the three groups. The largest number of scale differences was between Anglos and Mexican-Americans tested in Spanish. The second largest number of differences was found between the two Mexican-American groups, and the smallest number of differences was found between Anglos and Hispanics tested in English.

The MMPI profiles of narcotics addicts. II. Ethnic and criminal history effects

Data from 240 male heroin addicts admitted to the California Civil Addict Program (CAP) were analyzed to determine if incarceration before or after first narcotics use--a behavioral marker termed "sequence"--was significantly related to MMPI profile scores. Furthermore, this relationship was examined separately for Anglos and Chicanos. Results indicate that those Anglo addicts who had been incarcerated before they first used narcotics had significantly elevated scores for Paranoia (Pa) and Schizophrenia (Sc), two scales of the psychotic triad. A significant sequence-by-ethnicity interaction was found, in which the sequence effect was not manifested in Chicano addicts.

The MMPI profiles of narcotics addicts. I. A review of the literature

This paper reviews three approaches to using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in the assessment of narcotics addicts' psychopathology. Two approaches examine the relationship of MMPI profiles to established sociodemographic or psychiatric typologies; the third pertains solely to MMPI-derived personality typologies. Findings from the research literature are presented and their implications for clinical assessment and treatment are discussed.

Personality Assessment and Native Americans

Personality assessment services for Native Americans have been culturally inappropriate and historically underutilized as a consequence. A framework for personality assessment is presented including components of relevant cultural knowledge, assessment techniques, assessor characteristics, and relationship style. Emic and etic approaches are described as serving different assessment functions. Acculturation measures and awareness of acculturation effects on different instruments provide temporary palliatives. A biopsychosocial model for service-delivery with linkages to family, tribal, county, state, and federal resources would be desirable and potentially effective. Ameliorations in techniques and service-delivery cannot substitute for genuine professional commitment to recruitment and training of indigenous assessment service-providers.