NCJ Number
59865
Journal
Journal of Personality Assessment Volume: 43 Issue: 1 Dated: (1979) Pages: 72-77
Date Published
1979
Length
6 pages
Annotation
DIFFERENCES IN THE PERSONALITY TEST SCORES OF WHITE, BLACK, AND MEXICAN-AMERICAN INMATES INCARCERATED AT THE CALIFORNIA INSTITUTION FOR MEN AT CHINO ARE EXPLORED.
Abstract
THE STUDY SUBJECTS, ALL OF WHOM WERE FELONY OFFENDERS REFERRED TO CHINO FOR ASSESSMENT OF THEIR SUITABILITY FOR PROBATION, INCLUDED 396 WHITES, 208 BLACKS, AND 114 MEXICAN-AMERICANS. THEIR AVERAGE AGE WAS 26.07. THE AGES, EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS, AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS OF THE THREE ETHNIC GROUPS WERE SIMILAR. THE AVERAGE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY (MMPI) PROFILE WAS LOWER FOR WHITES THAN FOR BLACKS ON THE F, SC, AND MA SCALES; HIGHER FOR WHITES THAN FOR MEXICAN-AMERICANS ON THE HY, MF, AND PA SCALES; AND LOWER FOR MEXICAN-AMERICANS THAN FOR BLACKS ON THE PD, MF, PT, SC, AND MA SCALES. THE THREE GROUPS ALSO DIFFERED ON TWO PROFILE DIMENSIONS IDENTIFIED THROUGH MULTIPLE DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS AS WELL AS IN THE FACTORIAL STRUCTURE OF THE MMPI SCALES. THIS LATTER FINDING SUGGESTS THE EXISTENCE OF ETHNIC GROUP DIFFERENCES IN THE PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS THAT ARE MEASURED BY THE MMPI AND HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR SEPARATE MMPI INTERPRETIVE STANDARDS FOR OFFENDERS OF DIFFERENT ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS. IN THE PRESENT SAMPLE, IF INTERPRETIVE STANDARDS USED FOR WHITES WERE APPLIED TO BLACKS AND MEXICAN-AMERICANS, THE RESULT PROBABLY WOULD BE AN OVERDIAGNOSIS OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY FOR BLACKS AND AN UNDERDIAGNOSIS FOR MEXICAN-AMERICANS). THE STUDY REPORT IS COUCHED IN STATISTICAL TERMINOLOGY, WITH NO EXPLANATION OF THE VARIOUS MMPI SCALES. SUPPORTING TABULAR DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)