ETHNIC COMPARABILITY OF THE MMPI IN PAIN PATIENTS

The MMPI basic validity and clinical scales' patterns of 295 White-, A frican- and Latino-American pain patients were compared. Mean group di fferences across ethnic groups on scales L, F, K, Mf, and Si were reve aled in multivariate analysis of covariance for females, while differe nces across ethnic groups on scales F, K, Mf, Sc, Ma, and Si were reve aled for males. In the univariate follow-up analyses of covariance, si gnificant main effects were obtained for ethnicity along with educatio n and (occasionally for males) duration of pain. Various high-point, t wo-point, and other profile patterns were examined and notable gender/ ethnic group differences were found. The pattern of intercorrelations of the MMPI scales mean T scores with various demographic and clinical characteristics suggested some notable divergence across subgroups on certain correlates of the pain experience. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons , Inc.