Differentiating PTSD symptomatology with the MMPI-2-RF (Restructured Form) in a forensic disability sample

Abstract The current study was designed to explore models of assessing various forms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology that incorporate both broad and more narrowly focused affective markers. We used broader markers of demoralization, negative activation, positive activation, and aberrant experiences to predict global PTSD scores, whereas more narrowly focused markers of positive and negative affect were used to differentiate between PTSD symptom clusters. A disability sample consisting of 347 individuals undergoing medico-legal psychological evaluations was used for this study. All participants completed symptom measures of PTSD and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) (from which MMPI-2-RF scores were derived). The results indicated that demoralization was the best individual predictor of PTSD globally, and that more narrowly focused MMPI-2-RF Specific Problems scales provided a differential prediction of PTSD symptom clusters. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed within contemporary frameworks of internalizing personality and psychopathology.