Predictive Validity of the MMPI-2 Clinical, PSY-5, and RC Scales for Therapy Disruptive Behavior

Background. Impulsive acts, parasuicidal behavior, and other therapy disruptive incidents occur frequently in the treatment of patients with personality disorders and increase the risk that patients will drop out of treatment. Objective. This study examined the predictive validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-2 Restructured Clinical (RC) and Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) Scales for therapy disruptive behavior and compared them with the original clinical scales. Methods. Using an inventory, the treatment staff recorded the therapy disruptive behavior of 104 patients with personality disorders who were receiving inpatient psychotherapy. Results. Both the RC and the PSY-5 scales predicted several categories of therapy disruptive behavior, and both scales predicted more categories of therapy disruptive behavior than the original clinical scales. Anger outbursts were predicted especially well by a combination of two of the RC scales. Conclusions. The information about the MMPI-2 obtained in this study may be helpful in case formulation when initiating inpatient treatment for patients with personality disorders.