Study of Psychological Characteristics of a Workers' Compensation Sample Using the MMPI and Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory

Abstract

47 Workers' Compensation claimants who had been referred for psychological evaluation were administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory. The subjects were divided into four diagnostic groups based on the type of injury claimed: head injury, psychiatric “stress and strain,” low back pain, and miscellaneous. Analysis of variance and discriminant analysis were performed on test data comparing the exclusive diagnostic categories; none of these variables displayed any significant differences. Mean profiles on each personality test were derived for each diagnostic group and showed amazingly similar patterns with interesting clinical elevations. Psychological characteristics displayed by all groups included passive dependence, depression, anxiety, and social introversion. The findings are discussed in terms of the use of these instruments in making differential diagnosis, identification of high-risk individuals for filing insurance claims, and the issue of malingering.