Prospective Study of the MMPI-2 Correction Factor after Mild Head Injury

Abstract

Gass (1991) proposed a correction factor composed of 14 MMPI-2 items that were characteristically endorsed by patients with closed-head injury. Their frequency of occurrence suggested that the items reflected the neurological rather than emotional consequences of head injury. The current study was designed to evaluate the interpretive significance of correction factor items after mild head trauma. Patients were examined immediately upon hospitalization and followed prospectively for at least 3 months. Correction factor items were endorsed more frequently during acute hospitalization than in the MMPI-2 standardization sample. At follow-up, none of the items were endorsed more often by patients with chronic mild head injury than by uninjured controls. These results suggest that the correction factor is sensitive to the acute neurological consequences of mild head trauma, but that these symptoms can typically be expected to resolve. Chronic endorsement of the items in this population is therefore most likely related to psychological factors.