Psychological Reporb, 1990, 67, 1117-1118. @ Psychological Reports 1990
"FAKING BAD" O N THE MMPI, MMPI-2, AND MILLON-11' SCOTT WETZLER AND DOUGLAS MARLOWE
Albert Einstein College of MedicinefMontefiore Medical Center Summary.-Using the F-minus-K index for MMPI protocols of 134 psychiatric inpatients and MMPI-2 scores of 35 inpatients, and Millon-I1 Debasement scores of 105 inpatients shows the prevalence of "faking bad," thereby reflecting the severity of psychopathology in this hospitalized sample.
The validity scales of the MMPI, MMPI-2, and Millon-I1 are indicators of the test-taker's response set. According to some experts, a "faking bad" response set is a sign of dissimulation and invalidates the subject's test data, whereas others believe such overreporting of psychopathology is a "plea for help," expressing the person's distress. Whatever its implications, the "faking bad" response set is considered to be a relatively rare phenomenon. On the MMPI, the F-minus-K raw score of greater than + 11 is used as a cut-off (3) and is reportedly found in less than 1 % of normal subjects (5) and 2.5% of psychiatric inpatients (1). Graham (2) recommends that the same cut-off be used for the MMPI-2. On the Millon-11, a Debasement scale Base Rate score of greater than 84 is used as a cut-off and is by design found in 10% of psychiatric patients (4). The present study investigated the prevalence of "faking bad" profiles on the MMPI, MMPI-2, and Millon-I1 among psychiatric inpatients where levels of "true" psychopathology would be expected to be high. Psychiatric inpatients at Montefiore Medical Center were administered the Millon-I1 and MMPI (recently the MMPI-2 has been used as a replacement) as part of a routine evaluation during the first week of admission. Patients who were grossly disorganized and unable to complete the self-report tests were not included. The MMPI was completed by 134 patients (45 men, 89 women; mean age: 36.0 yr., SD: 14.2); the MMPI-2 by 35 patients (12 men, 23 women; mean age: 37.4 yr., SD: 15.1); the Millon-I1 by 105 patients (34 men, 71 women; mean age: 37.1 yr., SD: 15.7). Using the MMPI F-minus-K index, test data from 9% (12 of 134) of this population would be considered invalid. The mean F-minus-K score was -3.47 (SD: 9.57) which was significantly higher than that in the original report by Gough (1)for psychiatric inpatients (mean score: -8.31, SD: 8.45; one-tailed Student's t,,, = 5.32, p < .0005) and for the contemporary normal subjects reported by Osborne, et al. (5) (mean score: -10.53, SD: 6.43; 'Address correspondence to S. Wetzler, Laboratory of Clinical and E x erimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of ~ e d i c i n e h o n t e f i o r eMedical Center, 111 East 210th Street, Bronx, NY 10467.
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S. WETZLER & D. MARLOWE
one-tailed Student's t,,, = 8.11, p < .0005). Using the MMPI-2 F-minus-K index, none of the 35 subjects would have been excluded. Their mean F-minus-K score was -8.71 (SD: 7.53), not significantly different from Gough's psychiatric sample or the contemporary normal sample. Using the Millon-I1 Debasement scale, 17% (18 of 105) would have been excluded. These findings indicate that the prevalence of the "faking bad" response set on the MMPI and Millon-I1 among psychiatric inpatients is by no means a rare phenomenon. The most plausible interpretation is that these indices reflect the severity of psychopathology in this population as well as their distress rather than intentional dissimulation. Recommendations to use lower cut-off scores, i.e., MMPI F-minus-K score of greater than + 9 (1) or Millon-I1 Debasement Base Rate score of greater than 74 (4), would lead to the exclusion of test data from an even larger number of patients. Although our sample size was too small to be definitive, it may be that the MMPI-2 F-minus-K score is an improved validity index for the identification of "faking bad." REFERENCES 1. GOUGH,H. G. (1950) The F Minus K Dissimulation Index for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Invenlory lournal of Counseling Psychology., 14, 408-413. 2. GRAHAM, J. R. (1990) A4AIPI-2: arsessing personalily and psychopathology. New York: Oxford Univer. Press. 3 . HUNT, H. F. (1948) The effect o € deliberate deception on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory performance. Journal of Counseling Psychology., 12, 396-402. 4. MILLON,T. (1987) Manualfor the MCMI-II. (2nd ed.) Minneapolis, MN: National Computer Systems. 5. OSBORNE, D., COLUGAN,R. C., & OFFORD,K. P (1986) Normative tables for the F-K index of the MMPI based on a contemporary normal sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology., 42, 593-595.
Accepted November 23, 1990.
"FAKING BAD" O N THE MMPI, MMPI-2, AND MILLON-11' SCOTT WETZLER AND DOUGLAS MARLOWE
Albert Einstein College of MedicinefMontefiore Medical Center Summary.-Using the F-minus-K index for MMPI protocols of 134 psychiatric inpatients and MMPI-2 scores of 35 inpatients, and Millon-I1 Debasement scores of 105 inpatients shows the prevalence of "faking bad," thereby reflecting the severity of psychopathology in this hospitalized sample.
The validity scales of the MMPI, MMPI-2, and Millon-I1 are indicators of the test-taker's response set. According to some experts, a "faking bad" response set is a sign of dissimulation and invalidates the subject's test data, whereas others believe such overreporting of psychopathology is a "plea for help," expressing the person's distress. Whatever its implications, the "faking bad" response set is considered to be a relatively rare phenomenon. On the MMPI, the F-minus-K raw score of greater than + 11 is used as a cut-off (3) and is reportedly found in less than 1 % of normal subjects (5) and 2.5% of psychiatric inpatients (1). Graham (2) recommends that the same cut-off be used for the MMPI-2. On the Millon-11, a Debasement scale Base Rate score of greater than 84 is used as a cut-off and is by design found in 10% of psychiatric patients (4). The present study investigated the prevalence of "faking bad" profiles on the MMPI, MMPI-2, and Millon-I1 among psychiatric inpatients where levels of "true" psychopathology would be expected to be high. Psychiatric inpatients at Montefiore Medical Center were administered the Millon-I1 and MMPI (recently the MMPI-2 has been used as a replacement) as part of a routine evaluation during the first week of admission. Patients who were grossly disorganized and unable to complete the self-report tests were not included. The MMPI was completed by 134 patients (45 men, 89 women; mean age: 36.0 yr., SD: 14.2); the MMPI-2 by 35 patients (12 men, 23 women; mean age: 37.4 yr., SD: 15.1); the Millon-I1 by 105 patients (34 men, 71 women; mean age: 37.1 yr., SD: 15.7). Using the MMPI F-minus-K index, test data from 9% (12 of 134) of this population would be considered invalid. The mean F-minus-K score was -3.47 (SD: 9.57) which was significantly higher than that in the original report by Gough (1)for psychiatric inpatients (mean score: -8.31, SD: 8.45; one-tailed Student's t,,, = 5.32, p < .0005) and for the contemporary normal subjects reported by Osborne, et al. (5) (mean score: -10.53, SD: 6.43; 'Address correspondence to S. Wetzler, Laboratory of Clinical and E x erimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of ~ e d i c i n e h o n t e f i o r eMedical Center, 111 East 210th Street, Bronx, NY 10467.
1118
S. WETZLER & D. MARLOWE
one-tailed Student's t,,, = 8.11, p < .0005). Using the MMPI-2 F-minus-K index, none of the 35 subjects would have been excluded. Their mean F-minus-K score was -8.71 (SD: 7.53), not significantly different from Gough's psychiatric sample or the contemporary normal sample. Using the Millon-I1 Debasement scale, 17% (18 of 105) would have been excluded. These findings indicate that the prevalence of the "faking bad" response set on the MMPI and Millon-I1 among psychiatric inpatients is by no means a rare phenomenon. The most plausible interpretation is that these indices reflect the severity of psychopathology in this population as well as their distress rather than intentional dissimulation. Recommendations to use lower cut-off scores, i.e., MMPI F-minus-K score of greater than + 9 (1) or Millon-I1 Debasement Base Rate score of greater than 74 (4), would lead to the exclusion of test data from an even larger number of patients. Although our sample size was too small to be definitive, it may be that the MMPI-2 F-minus-K score is an improved validity index for the identification of "faking bad." REFERENCES 1. GOUGH,H. G. (1950) The F Minus K Dissimulation Index for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Invenlory lournal of Counseling Psychology., 14, 408-413. 2. GRAHAM, J. R. (1990) A4AIPI-2: arsessing personalily and psychopathology. New York: Oxford Univer. Press. 3 . HUNT, H. F. (1948) The effect o € deliberate deception on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory performance. Journal of Counseling Psychology., 12, 396-402. 4. MILLON,T. (1987) Manualfor the MCMI-II. (2nd ed.) Minneapolis, MN: National Computer Systems. 5. OSBORNE, D., COLUGAN,R. C., & OFFORD,K. P (1986) Normative tables for the F-K index of the MMPI based on a contemporary normal sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology., 42, 593-595.
Accepted November 23, 1990.
