A canonical analysis of the million clinical multiaxial inventory and the MMPI for an offender population

The Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) is a relatively new instrument designed to measure both symptomatology and long-standing patterns of personality disorder in clinical populations. As it is designed to assess clients who are similar to those with whom the MMPI is often used (e.g., adjudicated offenders), a question may arise as to whether the two instruments measure the same aspects of clients' function. This study investigated this question through a canonical correlation analysis of the two instruments with a criminal offender population. Results indicate that the instruments tap four dimensions that reflect diverse aspects of personality functioning and clinical symptomatology. At the same time, the redundancy indices indicate that the two tests are dissimilar enough to justify their use together in a forensic assessment.