Alcoholic MMPI types and their relationship to patient characteristics, polydrug abuse, and abstinence following treatment.

This study attempted to delineate personality types by applying empirical clustering procedures to the MMPI protocols of 207 (175 males and 32 females) inpatient alcoholics in a private treatment facility. Additional patient information was collected, including self-reported alcohol use following treatment, ethnicity, educational level, marital status, numbaer of previous admissions, and dependence on drugs in addition to alcohol. Shipley-Hartford IQ scores and Zung Depression scores obtained upon admission were also included. Four representative MMPI types emerged, one of which had a significantly greater proportion of polydrug abusers. Significant differences between the types were obtained for ethnicity, level of education, marital status, and Shipley-Hartford scores. Zung Depression scores were found to be significantly different between types and closely reflected the levels of depression indicated on the MMPI. Finally, the types were found to have a significant although modest relationship to twelve month sobriety following discharge. Results are discussed in terms of the considerable heterogeneity of alcoholic populations and the need to detail and elaborate the characteristics of alcoholic types.