Journal o[ Studies on Alcohol, Vol. 39, No. 11, 1978
Pre- and Posttraining MMPI Scoresof Women Alcoholism Counselors Helmut
Hoffmann
and Randall Wehler
Sv•x•xanx,.The scoresof women alcoholismcounselorson the MinnesotaMultiphasic PersonalitelInventoralbefore and after completionof an intensivetraining program showed little change in basic personalitelconfiguration.
Despite the large number of alcohol-and drug-dependency treatment centersin the United Statesemployingfull-time alcoholismcounselors (1), there are few publishedstudiesof the personalitycharacteristics of suchcounselors (e.g., 1-3). The purposeof the presentstudywas to investigatethe effect of a 9-monthinhospitaltraining program,emphasizingpersonalgrowth, group dynamicsand personalconfrontation, on the personalities of recoveredwomenalcoholicsand drug addictsinterestedin a counselingcareer.Specifically,it was of interestto compare the women'spre- and posttrainingscoreson the MinnesotaMultiphasic Personality Inventory(MMPX)with thoseof a comparablesampleof men alcoholismcounselors (1). METHOD
The subjectswere 33 women alcoholismcounselorswho completeda 9monthfull-timetrainingprogramat Willmar StateHospital.The trainingprogram involvedhospitalinserviceclassesand communitycollegecourses,personalgrowth groupswith heavy emphasison personalconfrontation,working as patient group co-facilitatorswith staff counselors,and servinga 3-month counselingpracticum.The programwas both federally and state approved, and state certificationwas granted on successfulcompletion.The MMPI was administeredto the subjectsbefore admissionto the trainingprogramand aftertrainingwas completed.All participants were recoveredalcoholics or drug addictswho had beenabstinentfor at least2 years.Their meanage was 42 (range, 19-55), their mean intelligencequotient (on the Shipicy-Institute of Living Scalefor MeasuringIntellectualImpairment) was 116 (range, 109124), and their mean number of years of formal educationwas 12 (range, 10-16). Almost all had a high-schooldiploma and some had a college background. • From the Chemical Dependency Treatment Center, Willmar State Hospital, Willmar, Minnesota 56201.
Receivedfor publication:7 March 1978. Revision:28 July 1978. 1952
Bm•F I•,ORTS
1953
To determinewhetherthe mean changesin the subjects'pre- and posttraining MMPI K-correctedstandardscoreswere significant,t testsfor paired observationswere computed.Pearsonproduct-moment correlationsbetweenthe pre- and posttrainingraw MMPI scoreswere alsocomputed.Furthermoret tests comparingthe meanscoresof men (1) and womencounselors were computed. •ESULTS
As shown in Table 1, significantdifferencesbetween the pre- and posttrainingscoreswere found on 4 of the 13 MMPI scales.After training, the subjectsscoredsignificantlylower on the Si (t: 3.29, p < .01), D (t = 2.74, p < .02), and L (t -- 2.55, p < .05) scalesand significantly higher on the Hy (t: --2.22, p < .05) scale.None of thesesignificant changesindicatedany substantialshift in the mean scoresbetween the initiation and terminationof training in terms of raw scorechange.A meanstandardscoreof 60 or abovewasnotedboth at pre- and posttesting on the K, Pd and Ma scales. Pearsoniancorrelationsbetween pre- and posttestMMPI raw scores rangedfrom .04 (Pa) to .77 (Ma), with a mediancorrelationof .52. The mean correlationwas .51. Only one (Pa scale) of the correlations betweenpre- and posttrainingraw scoreswas not statisticallysignificant. The individualcounselor's pre- and posttrainingscoresindicateda significant degreeof stability, despitetraining. Prior to training,the womencounselors scoredsignificantlylower than did a comparablegroupof men counselors on scalesF (t = 2.84, p < .01), Hs (t = 6.04, p
Pre- and Posttraining MMPI Scoresof Women Alcoholism Counselors Helmut
Hoffmann
and Randall Wehler
Sv•x•xanx,.The scoresof women alcoholismcounselorson the MinnesotaMultiphasic PersonalitelInventoralbefore and after completionof an intensivetraining program showed little change in basic personalitelconfiguration.
Despite the large number of alcohol-and drug-dependency treatment centersin the United Statesemployingfull-time alcoholismcounselors (1), there are few publishedstudiesof the personalitycharacteristics of suchcounselors (e.g., 1-3). The purposeof the presentstudywas to investigatethe effect of a 9-monthinhospitaltraining program,emphasizingpersonalgrowth, group dynamicsand personalconfrontation, on the personalities of recoveredwomenalcoholicsand drug addictsinterestedin a counselingcareer.Specifically,it was of interestto compare the women'spre- and posttrainingscoreson the MinnesotaMultiphasic Personality Inventory(MMPX)with thoseof a comparablesampleof men alcoholismcounselors (1). METHOD
The subjectswere 33 women alcoholismcounselorswho completeda 9monthfull-timetrainingprogramat Willmar StateHospital.The trainingprogram involvedhospitalinserviceclassesand communitycollegecourses,personalgrowth groupswith heavy emphasison personalconfrontation,working as patient group co-facilitatorswith staff counselors,and servinga 3-month counselingpracticum.The programwas both federally and state approved, and state certificationwas granted on successfulcompletion.The MMPI was administeredto the subjectsbefore admissionto the trainingprogramand aftertrainingwas completed.All participants were recoveredalcoholics or drug addictswho had beenabstinentfor at least2 years.Their meanage was 42 (range, 19-55), their mean intelligencequotient (on the Shipicy-Institute of Living Scalefor MeasuringIntellectualImpairment) was 116 (range, 109124), and their mean number of years of formal educationwas 12 (range, 10-16). Almost all had a high-schooldiploma and some had a college background. • From the Chemical Dependency Treatment Center, Willmar State Hospital, Willmar, Minnesota 56201.
Receivedfor publication:7 March 1978. Revision:28 July 1978. 1952
Bm•F I•,ORTS
1953
To determinewhetherthe mean changesin the subjects'pre- and posttraining MMPI K-correctedstandardscoreswere significant,t testsfor paired observationswere computed.Pearsonproduct-moment correlationsbetweenthe pre- and posttrainingraw MMPI scoreswere alsocomputed.Furthermoret tests comparingthe meanscoresof men (1) and womencounselors were computed. •ESULTS
As shown in Table 1, significantdifferencesbetween the pre- and posttrainingscoreswere found on 4 of the 13 MMPI scales.After training, the subjectsscoredsignificantlylower on the Si (t: 3.29, p < .01), D (t = 2.74, p < .02), and L (t -- 2.55, p < .05) scalesand significantly higher on the Hy (t: --2.22, p < .05) scale.None of thesesignificant changesindicatedany substantialshift in the mean scoresbetween the initiation and terminationof training in terms of raw scorechange.A meanstandardscoreof 60 or abovewasnotedboth at pre- and posttesting on the K, Pd and Ma scales. Pearsoniancorrelationsbetween pre- and posttestMMPI raw scores rangedfrom .04 (Pa) to .77 (Ma), with a mediancorrelationof .52. The mean correlationwas .51. Only one (Pa scale) of the correlations betweenpre- and posttrainingraw scoreswas not statisticallysignificant. The individualcounselor's pre- and posttrainingscoresindicateda significant degreeof stability, despitetraining. Prior to training,the womencounselors scoredsignificantlylower than did a comparablegroupof men counselors on scalesF (t = 2.84, p < .01), Hs (t = 6.04, p
