Russian translation of the MMPI-A: Evaluation of cross-cultural equivalence.

摘要

This study assessed the validity of the Russian translation of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Adolescent form (MMPI-A, Butcher et al., 1992). The data collection for this study was conducted in the city of Magadan, Russian Federation, between November–December 1999. A group of 392 Russian-speaking students age 13–18 from several public schools were invited to fill out the Russian-language MMPI-A and the Biographical Information Form. After invalid or incomplete records were identified and removed, 344 records (Boys: n = 136; Girls: n = 208) were included in subsequent analyses. When scored against the U.S. norms, average group profiles for the total Russian MMPI-A sample were within normal limits for basic validity, clinical, and content scales. When the Russian and the U.S. Normative raw scale scores were compared using a two-way multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA), for both genders moderate statistically significant sample differences emerged among some validity, clinical, and content scales. The review of percent “True” endorsement frequencies between the U.S. Normative and Russian samples indicated that most differences of 25% or greater reflected cultural and sample variability rather than translation problems. The internal consistency and raw score intercorrelations of the validity, clinical, and content scales was compatible to the U.S. Normative sample. Correlations of raw Russian MMPI-A scale scores with self-reported grades in school, participation in school activities, and total number of school problems revealed a number of moderate statistically significant relationships. The strength and direction of those relationships was consistent with extra-test data found for the U.S. Normative sample. Overall, this study provided preliminary empirical support for the validity of the Russian MMPI-A. It is recommended that the use of this translation be explored in clinical settings and additional data collected on behavioral correlates and other extra-test variables. Continued evaluation of cross-cultural equivalence of the Russian and the original English versions of the MMPI-A will advance research and clinical work with Russian-speaking adolescents.