TY - JOUR
T1 - Birth cohort increases in psychopathology among young Americans, 1938-2007
T2 - A cross-temporal meta-analysis of the MMPI
AU - Twenge, Jean M.
AU - Gentile, Brittany
AU - DeWall, C. Nathan
AU - Ma, Debbie
AU - Lacefield, Katharine
AU - Schurtz, David R.
PY - 2010/3
Y1 - 2010/3
N2 - Two cross-temporal meta-analyses find large generational increases in psychopathology among American college students (N = 63,706) between 1938 and 2007 on the MMPI and MMPI-2 and high school students (N = 13,870) between 1951 and 2002 on the MMPI-A. The current generation of young people scores about a standard deviation higher (average d = 1.05) on the clinical scales, including Pd (Psychopathic Deviation), Pa (Paranoia), Ma (Hypomania), and D (Depression). Five times as many now score above common cutoffs for psychopathology, including up to 40% on Ma. The birth cohort effects are still large and significant after controlling for the L and K validity scales, suggesting that the changes are not caused by response bias. The results best fit a model citing cultural shifts toward extrinsic goals, such as materialism and status and away from intrinsic goals, such as community, meaning in life, and affiliation.
AB - Two cross-temporal meta-analyses find large generational increases in psychopathology among American college students (N = 63,706) between 1938 and 2007 on the MMPI and MMPI-2 and high school students (N = 13,870) between 1951 and 2002 on the MMPI-A. The current generation of young people scores about a standard deviation higher (average d = 1.05) on the clinical scales, including Pd (Psychopathic Deviation), Pa (Paranoia), Ma (Hypomania), and D (Depression). Five times as many now score above common cutoffs for psychopathology, including up to 40% on Ma. The birth cohort effects are still large and significant after controlling for the L and K validity scales, suggesting that the changes are not caused by response bias. The results best fit a model citing cultural shifts toward extrinsic goals, such as materialism and status and away from intrinsic goals, such as community, meaning in life, and affiliation.
KW - Anxiety
KW - Birth cohort
KW - Culture
KW - Depression
KW - Generations
KW - Psychopathology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=74149089630&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=74149089630&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cpr.2009.10.005
DO - 10.1016/j.cpr.2009.10.005
M3 - Review article
C2 - 19945203
AN - SCOPUS:74149089630
SN - 0272-7358
VL - 30
SP - 145
EP - 154
JO - Clinical Psychology Review
JF - Clinical Psychology Review
IS - 2
ER -
