EVALUATING THE INCREMENTAL VALIDITY OF THE MMPI-2-RC SCALES FOR CUSTODY LITIGANTS

EVALUATING THE INCREMENTAL VALIDITY OF THE MMPI-2-RC SCALES FOR CUSTODY LITIGANTS By Elizabeth M. Archer Wheeler, M.S. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012. Major Director: Bryce D. McLeod, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Psychology Department of Psychology The use of psychological testing in child custody assessments has become more common and important as psychologists are increasingly used as expert witnesses in contested child custody and visitation cases. Currently, the MMPI-2 is the most commonly used psychological test in child custody cases, but there is no research indicating which version of the measure (K-corrected, non-K-corrected, or the RC scales) provides the most accurate picture of the custody litigant in terms of substantial correlations with external variables. This study represents the first examination of the convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the MMPI-2 K-corrected Basic Clinical Scales, the MMPI-2 non-K-corrected Basic Clinical Scales, and the RC scales in a sample of (n = 196) custody litigants from the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Results indicated that all three sets of scales showed some evidence of convergent validity and discriminant validity with external criteria, with gender differences shown in correlate patterns. Additionally, results indicated that none of the three versions demonstrated incremental validity relative to the other versions. There were several limitations of the study including the use of dichotomous, self-report external correlate variables, the simultaneous collection of both predictor and outcome variables, and potentially limited generalizability of the data. Evaluation of the Incremental Validity of the MMPI-2-RC Scales for Custody Litigants A significant number of children will experience the divorce of their parents. Over half of marriages end in divorce (United States Census Bureau, 2009) and recent estimates suggest that roughly 11.5 million children have experienced the divorce of their parents (United States Census Bureau, 2003). With this large percentage of children in the United States who have or will experience the divorce of their parents, it is crucial to understand the potential mental health outcomes that divorce may have on children. Divorce is associated with a number of negative outcomes for children. The U.S. Census Bureau (2003) states that children of divorced families are more likely to have problematic academic achievement, drop out of school, have children at a young age, and have increased levels of depression, stress, anxiety and aggression. Approximately 20-25% of children who experience the divorce of their parents will have serious mental illness or life adjustment problems (Amato & Keith, 1991; Hetherington, Bridges, & Insabella, 1998) and these children are at an increased risk of mental health problems as adults (Chase-Lansdale, Cherlin, & Kiernan, 1995). It is clear that divorce is associated with significant negative outcomes for children; however, there are factors that appear to be associated with reduced severity of outcomes. Placement decisions regarding custody and visitation appear to play an important role in determining outcomes for children who experience the divorce of their parents (Ackerman, 2006). Placement and visitation schedules that provide the best psychological and developmental fit for the children are important both from a mental health and a public policy standpoint. Wallerstein (1991) noted many children experience the effects of divorce long into adulthood, while others may not experience the full effect of the divorce until they