NCJ Number
189082
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2001 Pages: 47-57
Editor(s)
Vincent B. Van Hasselt,
Michel Hersen
Date Published
March 2001
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study explored and investigated the nature of the Scale 8 elevations on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) among childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors.
Abstract
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) had been used for several investigations in order to assess long-term symptomatic effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) among survivors. The majority indicated that survivors tend to produce profiles that include elevations on Scale 8. Elevations of Scale 8 were often associated with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. It was hypothesized based on observations that social alienation and lack of cognitive and affective ego mastery contributed to Scale 8 elevations. In addition, it was further hypothesized that the presence of depressive symptomatology would have an impact on Scale 8 scores. Participants in the study consisted of 73 women seeking outpatient treatment at a program for adult survivors of CSA at a university-based community mental health center in the southeastern region of the United States. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted, including measures of commonly reported symptoms in CSA survivors: depression, post-traumatic stress, and dissociation. The study revealed that the presence of depressive and dissociative symptomatology best predicted elevations on Scale 8 of the MMPI-2 for CSA survivors and was more effective at predicting Scale 8 scores than post-traumatic stress. Results suggested that elevations in Scale 8 in CSA survivors reflected difficulties other than schizophrenia, most notably depression and dissociation. Tables and references