The MMPI-A and 13-year-old inpatients: How young is too young?

This study examined two questions in the use of the MMPl-A with 13-year-old inpatients: (a) are the profiles of 13-year-old inpatients markedly differ ent from those produced by 14-year-old inpatients, and (b) what is the effe ct of scoring with standard MMPI-A norms versus Archer MMPI-A norms for 13- year-olds. Protocols from 56 13-year-old and 85 14-year-old psychiatric inp atients were analyzed. No significant differences were found for age in mea n T scores, and no clear pattern of differences was found in percentage of elevations into the clinical range (T greater than or equal to 65) for vali dity, clinical, content, or supplemental scales. A strong multivariate effe ct was found with the use of Archer MMPI-A norms resulting in lower T-score values than when standard MMPI-A norms are used. However, univariate diffe rences based on norms were not routinely found with statistically significa nt differences in only 2 of the 38 scales for males and 7 of the 38 scales for females. The two major exceptions to this finding were that the use of, e-cher norms versus standard MMPI-A norms resulting in significantly higher mean T scores and a significantly higher percentage of cases falling withi n the clinical range for Scale 1 and the depression content scale.