The creation and construct validity of MMPI-2-RF based personality disorder scales

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008) is a short form of the MMPI-2, consisting of 338 of the 567 items that appear on the inventory. With the loss of items came the loss of a number of scales that could be scored from the larger item pool. Among these scales are those created to measure personality disorders (PDs). The purpose of the present project was to create a new set of PD scales that could be scored from the reduced item pool of the MMPI-2-RF.;New scales were created for nine of the ten PDs that appear in the DSM-IV-TR and consist of 141 items from the MMPI-2-RF inventory, with scale length ranging from 7 to 31 items per scale. The scales provide meaningful information and sufficient precision of measurement in the moderate to high range of the trait continuum across samples, with the possible exception of the Schizotypal PD scale. The MMPI-2-RF PD scales demonstrated convergent validity with scales designed to assess the same or similar constructs in both normal and abnormal samples. Furthermore, the MMPI-2-RF PD scales demonstrated incremental validity over and above conceptually relevant MMPI-2-PSY 5 scales in the prediction of DSM-IV PD symptom counts. Limitations of the present study and future directions are discussed.;Scale construction made use of both Classical and Modern Test Theory (Item Response Theory) and was conducted in a derivation sample of610 psychiatric outpatients. Cross-validation of the new scales took place using a similar but separate sample of412 psychiatric outpatients as well as with a sample of 423 university students. Empirical validation of the scales was then conducted with both student samples (N = 121 and N = 229) and psychiatric outpatient samples (N = 134, N = 380, N = 210) using both self-report and interview-based criterion measures.