Racial Variations on the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale of the MMPI

The present investigation examined the effect of race on the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale (MAC) performance of alcoholic and nonalcoholic inpatients in an active-duty military sample. Black and white alcoholics performed similarly on the MAC in terms of mean score and accuracy of identification by cutting scores. Black nonalcoholics scored significantly higher than white nonalcoholics on the MAC. The MAC was found to discriminate successfully between white alcoholics and nonalcoholics (66.3%) but not between black alcoholics and nonalcoholics (55.5%). The inability of the MAC to discriminate between black alcoholics and nonalcoholics in an active-duty military sample suggests caution in its use with black patients in this setting.