MMPI Characteristics of Mothers of Pre-School Children Who are Emotionally Disturbed or Have Behavior Problems

Abstract

This study compared MMPI profiles of mothers of pre-school children who are emotionally disturbed and have behavior problems with those of a control group. Mothers of children with emotional problems had significantly higher scores on five clinical scales when compared with control mothers as expected: Depression (D), Psychopathic Deviate (Pd), Psychasthenia (Pt), Schizophrenia (Sc), and Hypomania (Ma). Mothers of children with behavior problems differed from controls only on the Hypomania (Ma) scale. The significance of these results is discussed in terms of their contribution to the resolution of the question as to whether or not maternal maladjustment is a causative factor in deviant behavior in children or simply a reaction to a problem child.

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