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PERSONALITY MEASUREMENTS IN FATHERS OF MENTALLY RETARDED AND EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED CHILDREN
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to reexamine Erickson's "stress reaction hypothesis" which states that the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory's (MMPI) clinical scales of parents of mentally retarded and emotionally disturbed children are elevated and that the elevations reflect a common stress reaction rather than preexisting personal psychopathology. This study provided a test of the "stress reaction hypothesis" with fathers of latency aged children who were living with both parents. The question addressed in considering this restricted population was: Would fathers of mentally retarded children, fathers of emotionally disturbed children, and fathers of non-mentally retarded and non-emotionally disturbed children differ in their personalities as measured by the MMPI? The study consisted of seventy-five biological fathers divided into three sample groups of twenty-five. A descriptive research design was used to test the hypothesis and a multivariate analysis of variance statistical procedure was used to test for differences among the three groups on the thirteen MMPI variables considered collectively. An overall difference did exist among the three groups and the difference remained when social status and education of fathers were considered as covariates. However, there was little clinical significance in that there were more similarities than dissimilarities in their MMPI profiles. Most differences found were between fathers of emotionally disturbed children and the fathers of the other two groups. The fathers of emotionally disturbed children tended to acknowledge more distress but also tended to disown any personal responsibility for it. While they showed some difficulties in interpersonal relationships, they also showed a wider range of interests than did the other two groups. The "stress reaction hypothesis" was not necessarily rejected or accepted by these results.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy
Recommended Citation
CACIOPPO, BENJAMIN FRANK, "PERSONALITY MEASUREMENTS IN FATHERS OF MENTALLY RETARDED AND EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED CHILDREN" (1983). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8328161.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8328161