Use of MMPI Subtypes in Predicting Completion of a Residential Alcoholism Treatment Program

To obtain data on patient characteristics relevant to treatment outcome, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was administered to 86 men 3-5 days following their admission to a 30-day residential alcoholism treatment program. Cluster analyses yielded three subtypes whose mean MMPI code types were as follows: Type I comprised a 4-2-8 code type, with marked additional pathology; Type II comprised a 4-9/9-4 code type; and Type III comprised a 2-4/4-2 code type. The subtypes differed significantly in their rates of treatment completion, with Type II yielding a greater proportion of program dropouts. To investigate the effect of time of MMPI administration on subtype results, 68 subjects who remained in treatment were readministered the MMPI 14-16 days following admission. A comparison of Time 1 and Time 2 typologies highlights the importance of test administration time and provides some explanation for previous discrepant findings.