MULTIVARIATE CLUSTER-ANALYSIS OF THE MMPI-2 IN CHRONIC LOW-BACK-PAIN PATIENTS

Objective: The purpose of our study was to investigate whether Minneso ta Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 cluster solutions of chronic lo w-back pain patients would replicate those found in previous research with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Setting: A multi disciplinary pain clinic in the southeastern United States. Patients: The subjects were 201 chronic low-back pain patients who had suffered a work-related back injury. Outcome Measures: The Minnesota Multiphasi c Personality Inventory-2. Results: We found four relatively homogeneo us subgroups of chronic low-back pain patients that were similar to th ose identified by previous researchers using data collected with the M innesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Conclusion: These findings indicate that interpretations of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personalit y Inventory-2 should parallel those of the Minnesota Multiphasic Perso nality Inventory for chronic low-back pain patients. They further sugg est that the results of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-ba sed studies are also applicable to Minnesota Multiphasic Personality I nventory-2.