Faculty Articles
Clinical Presentations of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder across Trauma Populations: A Comparison of MMPI-2 Profiles of Combat Veterans and Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
ISSN
0022-3018
Publication Date
10-2000
Abstract
This investigation examined differences in symptom patterns of two different trauma samples using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). MMPI-2s of 122 male combat veterans seeking outpatient treatment for combat-related PTSD were compared with those of 64 PTSD-diagnosed adults seeking outpatient treatment for the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA). We examined variables related to degree of health concerns, depression, somatization, anger and hostility, masculine-feminine traits, paranoid ideation, anxiety, difficulties thinking and concentrating, elevated mood, and social introversion, as well as test-taking attitude. MANOVAs revealed between-group differences on several variables. However, when analyses controlled for the effect of age, nearly all differences disappeared; the only remaining difference was in a scale measuring anger. Thus, it appears CSA survivors and combat veterans are much more similar than different in their clinical presentation on the MMPI-2. Conceptual issues in the assessment of PTSD are discussed.
DOI
10.1097/00005053-200010000-00010
Volume
188
Issue
10
First Page
708
Last Page
713
NSUWorks Citation
Elhai, J. D.,
Frueh, B. C.,
Gold, P. B.,
Gold, S. N.,
Hamner, M. B.
(2000). Clinical Presentations of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder across Trauma Populations: A Comparison of MMPI-2 Profiles of Combat Veterans and Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 188(10), 708-713.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/665
