The purpose of this study was to develop and conduct initial validation of a special MMPI scale for the detection of bulimia. Existing measures all contain content-obvious items that require the individual to self-disclose regarding their bulimia symptomatology. Such measures are not effective in identifying those reluctant or unwilling to self-disclose. A measure which utilizes nonobvious items would be useful in identifying those undetected by other measures. The MMPI item pool was utilized to develop such a nonobvious measure. A number of treatment centers were contacted to solicit MMPI response sheets and diagnostic and demographic information from existing client files. A random 80% subsample was drawn from the total sample with the remaining 20% reserved for cross-validation analyses.Item analysis and discriminant analysis were conducted to identify items which differentiated between criterion and comparison groups. The 31 items chosen by these analyses became the B-scale. The bulimic individuals were found to be differentiated from those in the comparison groups by significantly higher scores on the new B-scale Two-way cross-classification frequency analysis established a cutoff score of 21. Through evaluation of K-scale corrections it was determined that such correction did not add to the accuracy of the B-scale and is, therefore, unnecessary.The discriminant validity of the B-scale was then examined. Discriminant function analysis established the B-scale as a better predictor of group membership than the existing clinical scales. In addition, the existing clinical scales were not found to add significantly to prediction when compared with the B-scale alone. Cross-validation analyses were conducted on the independent 20% random sample, demonstrating that the B-scale effectively identifies bulimics when applied to a new sample. Implications of this scale construction and suggestions for future research are presented. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/174783 |
| Date | January 1989 |
| Creators | Allison, Judy V. |
| Contributors | Barke, Charles R. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | iv, 88 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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