A Comparative Study of Minnesota Multiphatic Personality Inventory(MMPI) Responses of Conversion Disorder Patients and Somatization Disorder Patients

Minnesota Multiphatic Personality Inventory responses were analysed from patients with conversion disorder(N=65) and somatization disorder(N=23) who were admitted to Ewha Womans University Hospital and were confirmed with clinical final diagnose as conversion and somatization disorder by DSM-III diagnostic criteria from 1981 to 1987. The results were as follows :

1) Generally, the MMPI pofile of conversion disorder patients was 1-3 pattern and somatization disorder patients was 1-3-2-7-8 pattern.

2) According to analysis of varience fo T scores of each MMPI scales between conversion and somatization disorder patients. somatization disorder patients showed higher scores than conversions on D and Pt scales.

3) As a result of ANOVA and Duncan's posterior comparison test among four groups(conversion-females N=50, conversion-males N=15. somatization-females N= 12, somatization-males N=11), somatization-female patients gave higher scores on D and Hy scale than the other three groups.

4) By discriminant function analysis of four groups, it was found that the discriminant ability of somatization-female patients was most potent so that MMPI could be used to discriminate the somatization-female group most effectively.

5) Three subgroups were formed as a reslt of multivariate cluster analysis of T scores of each MMPI scales from the conversion-female group. The first sub-group(N=8) gave a normal profile while the second group (N=35) showed a conversion profile(1-3-8 pattern). The third subgroup(N=7) was found to suggest borderline. personality or severe anxiety state. Statistically significant differences were confirmed between the three subgroups on all MMPI scales exept L, Mf.