Am J Psychiatry 1980; 137:946-950
Copyright © 1980 by American Psychiatric Association
Validity of the MMPI with native Americans
D Pollack and JH Shore
A study was conducted to determine the validity of the MMPI for 142
American Indian patients from Pacific Northwest tribes. All the MMPI
profiles were similar and had significant elevations in the Sc, Pd, and Pa
scales. There was no significant difference between diagnostic groups on
many clinical scales. Nonpsychotic, depressed Indian patients could not be
distinguished from schizophrenic patients on any clinical scale, and there
were no significant differences between antisocial- alcoholic patients and
those with situational reactions. There were minimal differences between
the Northwest Coast, Plateau, and Plains cultural groups. The authors
believe that the similarity of all subgroup profiles demonstrates a
significant cultural influence on the results of the MMPI in this
population of American Indians.
