The current study examined the scale-level factor structure of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MVIPI-A) in a sample of 428 gifted and talented adolescents to validate use of this approach with a gifted population. The MMPIA structural summary was developed to help simplify interpretation of the 69 scales and subscales that are produced with a full administration of this assessment. A principal component analysis was conducted in an attempt to replicate the eight-factor structure identified by Archer, Belevich, and Elkins (1994) in the MMPI-A normative sample and by Archer and Krishnamurthy (1997) in a clinical sample. Results yielded eight factors which accounted for 69.57% of the total variance. Six of these eight factors appeared highly congruent with the original eight structural summary factors identified by Archer, Belevich, and Elkins in the MMPI-A normative sample. The results of this factor analysis supported use of the structural summary approach with gifted and talented high school students. This investigation then used MMPI-A structural summary profiles to describe the psychological characteristics of gifted adolescents. The main finding was that the gifted and talented sample presented with scores within the normal range, and the percentage of gifted students with elevations on any one factor did not exceed the percentage expected in a normal distribution. The highest number of elevations was on the Naivete factor followed by Social Discomfort and then General Maladjustment. These results suggested that this sample of gifted and talented adolescents presented with no more psychological maladjustment than would be expected from any other group of adolescents. Implications of these results for future research and practice with gifted and talented youth were discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/179072 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Newton, Christopher C. |
| Contributors | Kruczek, Theresa A. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | vii, 104 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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