Hubert De Mey

Assessment of chronic back pain patient characteristics using factor analysis of the MMPI-2 : which dimensions are actually assessed?

&NA; Guided by the study of Deardorff et al. (Pain, 54 (1993) 153–158), the MMPI‐2 data from 240 chronic back pain patients were factor‐analyzed in an attempt to discern the most important dimensions for this patient population. Principal components analysis with an oblique rotation revealed four underlying factors: Psychological disturbances, Extraversion–introversion, Passivity, and Somatic complaints. The factor structure reported by Deardorff et al. was thus successfully replicated. The stability of the factors was also supported using random split subsamples. External measures relevant to pain were used to investigate the external validity of Somatic complaints in a subsample of patients (n=93). Relations were found to number of painful sites, Waddell signs, fear of movement (maximal isometric flexion and extension performance by dynamometry, and cardiovascular fitness (VO2‐max). Substantial differences emerged across genders. The derived MMPI‐2 dimensions appear to constitute important characteristics associated with chronic pain. It is concluded that MMPI‐2 research into chronic pain may become more productive when the instrument and its clinical correlates are examined within a clear conceptual framework of distress and personality relevant for chronic pain and its treatment.

MMPI-2 clusters of alcohol-dependent patients and the relation to Cloninger's temperament-character inventory

Objective: Psychometric research in the field of alcohol dependence has concentrated on identifying certain (personality) characteristics (i.e. typologies). This paper is aimed to identify such typologies and studies the relation of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and Cloninger’s temperament-character inventory (TCI). Method: To find MMPI-2 scales associated with maximization of group differences between 222 DSM-IV alcohol dependent inpatients and a control group of 222 normal subjects, discriminant analysis was used. In addition, a cluster analysis was performed with these scales, and the MMPI-2 mean scale values of the resulting patient clusters were examined for their TCI-correlates. Results: The discriminant analyses showed several MMPI-2 scales that could clearly distinguish between alcohol-dependent patients and the normal controls. Cluster analysis resulted in semantically different MMPI-2 profiles implying qualitatively different groups of patients. When related to TCI scales, these differences revealed harm avoidance, self-directedness, and persistence, amongst others, as important elements in the description of the clusters. Conclusion: Evidence for the validity of MMPI-2 constructs as well as those of the TCI in the assessment of alcohol-dependent patients was provided.

Korsakoff's syndrome on the MMPI-2

Background: This article describes an exploratory study of MMPI-2 administration to 20 patients with Korsakoffs disease, all admitted to the Korsakoff unit of a major psychiatric hospital in the Netherlands. Methods: We compared their MMPI-2 basic profiles with those of an inpatient alcohol-dependent non-Korsakoff group. Attention was also given to content scales and some selected supplementary scales. Furthermore, we explored the differences between MMPI-2 profiles of Korsakoff patients with and without insight into oneself and ones disease. Results: Compared with both the Dutch norms and the scale means of the non-Korsakoff alcoholics, Korsakoff patients showed an extraordinary flat profile. Illness insight appeared to be related to the levels of the various scales. Discussion: The results show the potential usefulness of the MMPI-2 in the differential diagnosis of chronic alcoholism and Korsakoffs disease.

Self, other, positive, and negative affect scales of the self-confrontation method: Factorial structure and unidimensionality

In the self-confrontation method, the rows of a grid consist of valuations (i.e. summaries of important personal narratives), while the columns contain affects grouped into four scales (see title). These affects (varying from 16 to 30) are rated on a 0–5 scale of intensity, resulting in an affect profile for each valuation. Principal components analysis on the affect profiles of a client sample, using a list of 30 affects, yielded a 3-factor solution, with 2 unipolar and 1 bipolar factor, in accordance with the four scales. On the basis of this analysis, a list of 24 affects was derived with six affects per scale. This list was then applied to a student sample to cross-validate the results. Unidimensionality of the four scales was found at the level of single grids, and across both client and student samples. It was concluded that the four scales of the 24-affect list appeared to be psychometrically sound and optimally suited for use in research and practice.

Two Psychologies: Cognitive versus Contingency-Oriented

Cognitive psychology and contingency-based behavior analysis are contrasted to each other with respect to their philosophical and theoretical underpinnings as well as to theirpractical goals. Whereas the former focuses on intra-organismic structure and function in explaining minds, the latter emphasizes a history of environment–organism interactions in the explanation of behavior. A plea is made to value both psychologies on their own merits. Although we can speak of two separate psychologies, each with its own agenda, they must be considered as complementary, in principle.Cognitive psychology and contingency-based behavior analysis are contrasted to each other with respect to their philosophical and theoretical underpinnings as well as to theirpractical goals. Whereas the former focuses on intra-organismic structure and function in explaining minds, the latter emphasizes a history of environment–organism interactions in the explanation of behavior. A plea is made to value both psychologies on their own merits. Although we can speak of two separate psychologies, each with its own agenda, they must be considered as complementary, in principle.

Blood pressure response during verbal interaction: Review and prospect

Blood pressure changes during verbal interaction have typically been measured by noninvasive devices, at regular intervals of 1 to 5 minutes, in hypertensive as well as in normotensive subjects. In early studies the role of content variables was emphasized together with that of the emotions of anger and anxiety. Later the focus was on transactional involvement as one of the main causes of blood pressure changes. Two categories of independent variables that have received recent attention are the act of speaking itself and individual difference variables such as the Type A behavior pattern, which is characterized by a competitive, aggressive and impatient style of living. The discontinuous and momentary nature of most measurement techniques poses serious limitations to the study of fast fluctuating physiological changes during verbal episodes. In this regard, the recent advent of a noninvasive device for the continuous measurement of blood pressure could give a new impetus to the experimental clinical investigation of blood pressure changes during verbal communication.

Understanding and Remediating Social-Cognitive Dysfunctions in Patients with Serious Mental Illness Using Relational Frame Theory

Impairments in social cognition and perspective-taking play an important role in the psychopathology and social functioning of individuals with social anxiety, autism, or schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, among other clinical presentations. Perspective-taking has mostly been studied using the concept of Theory of Mind (ToM), which describes the sequential development of these skills in young children, as well as clinical populations experiencing perspective-taking difficulties. Several studies mention positive results of ToM based training programs; however, the precise processes involved in the achievement of these improvements are difficult to determine. Relational Frame Theory (RFT) is a modern behavioral account of complex cognitive functions, and is argued to provide a more precise approach to the assessment and training of perspective-taking, among other relational skills. Results of RFT-based studies of perspective-taking in developmental and clinical settings are discussed. The development of training methods targeting perspective-taking deficits from an RFT point of view appears to provide promising applications for the enhancement of current treatments of people with social-cognitive dysfunctions.