MMPI-2 Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) and prediction of treatment outcome for patients with chronic back pain.

This study investigated the utility of the MMPI-2-based Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) scales (Harkness, McNulty, & Ben-Porath, 1995) in the outcome prediction of behaviorally oriented chronic-pain treatment. The PSY-5 is a dimensional descriptive system for personality and its disorders. The sample consisted of 120 consecutive chronic-back-pain patients who followed a 4-week multimodal treatment program aimed at achieving a normal pattern of functioning, including return to regular work. The psychometric properties of the PSY-5 scales (Aggressiveness, Psychoticism, Constraint, Negative Emotionality/Neuroticism, and Positive Emotionality/Extraversion) were highly similar to the data reported by Harkness et al. (1995) and also corresponded to the characteristics of chronic-pain patients. The results of the hierarchical regression analyses provided support for the utility of the PSY-5 Positive Emotionality/Extraversion scale for the prediction of emotionally oriented outcome. We conclude that the PSY-5 model of personality psychopathology provides a solid basis for the more systematic study of the complex relation between personality characteristics and multidimensional treatment.