Psychological Testing and Child Custody Evaluations: Consensus & Controversy

1. Psychological Testing and Child Custody Evaluations: Consensus & Controversy Gene Gross, PSYD Metro Denver Interdisciplinary Committee October 4, 2016

2. Three Tests &Three Questions • MMPI-2 • Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, 2nd Edition • MCMI-III • Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, 3rd Edition • Rorschach Inkblot Test • Is the test scientific? • Does the test meet Daubert Standards? • Is the test appropriate in child custody evaluations?

3. MMPI-2: Basics Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, 2nd Edition • True or False: I don’t blame people for trying to grab everything they can get in this world. • True or False: I worry quite a bit over possible misfortunes. • True or False: I am very seldom troubled by constipation. MMPI Questions:

4. MMPI-2: Basics • 567 questions, all True or False • Takes one to one and a half hours to complete • Answers to questions statistically predict symptoms • Answers are compared to a normative sample; symptoms reflect deviation from the norm

5. MMPI-2: Basics Clinical Scales • Hypochondriasis • Depression • Hysteria • Psychopathic Deviate • Masculinity-Femininity • Paranoia • Psychasthenia • Schizophrenia • Hypomania • Social Introversion Symptoms and Issues • Mental Health • Personality Traits • Interpersonal Relationships • Substance Abuse • Random Responding • Exaggeration • Minimization/Defensiveness

6. MMPI-2 Question 1: Scientific? Reliability • Is the test consistent upon retest? • Is the test consistent when given by two different psychologists? Validity • Does the test measure what it purports to measure? • Consensus: The MMPI-2 is a reliable, valid instrument (Erickson, Lilienfeld, & Vitacco, 2007; Bow, Gould, Flens, & Greenhut, 2006; Groth-Marnat, 2016).

7. MMPI-2 Question 2: Meet Daubert Standards? Four prongs of Daubert: • Can be tested scientifically (Yes) • Subject to peer review and publication (Yes) • Error rate is known and acceptable (Yes) • Obtained general Acceptance (Yes) One study of custody evaluators found that 95% believed the MMPI-2 met Daubert standards (Bow, et al., 2006). • Consensus: The MMPI-2 meets Daubert Standards (Erickson, et al., 2007; Bow et al., 2006)

8. MMPI-2 Question 3: Appropriate for Child Custody? Need for a nuanced approach: • Use the Child Custody Litigant Comparison Group Compare litigants to litigants • Interpret Results Cautiously and in Context Defensiveness is typical and understandable “Psychopathic Deviate” scale is sensitive to family and marital conflict • No Direct Parenting Information Form relevant hypotheses and test them against other information

9. MMPI-2 Question 3: Appropriate for Child Custody? Parenting and Co-parenting Hypotheses • Does the parent have mental health symptoms? • Connections have been shown between some symptoms and parenting • Does the parent have problems in interpersonal relationships? • Suspicion is relevant, but has to be cautiously interpreted due to the context • Does the parent have high levels of anger, hostility?

10. MMPI-2 Question 3: Appropriate for Child Custody? Parenting and Co-parenting Hypotheses (continued) • Is the parent emotionally detached? • Does the parent have substance abuse issues? • Is the parent relatively free of mental health issues? • If the profile is not defensive, the MMPI-2 can serve as an excellent broad based screen for mental health issues.

11. MCMI-III: Basics Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, 3rd Edition • True or False: When I have a choice, I prefer to do things alone. • True or False: Lately, I have begun to feel like smashing things. • True or False: Even in good times, I’ve always been afraid things would soon go bad.

12. MCMI-III: Basics Clinical Personality Pattern Scales (MCMI-IV) • Apathetic – Asocial – Schizoid • Shy – Reticent – Avoidant • Dejected – Forlorn – Melancholic • Deferential – Attached – Dependent • Sociable – Pleasuring – Histrionic • Ebullient – Exuberant – Turbulent* • Confident – Egotistic – Narcissistic • Aggrandizing – Devious– Antisocial • Assertive – Denigrating – Sadistic • Reliable – Constricted – Compulsive • Discontented – Resentful – Negativistic • Abused – Aggrieved - Masochistic

13. MCMI-III Question 1: Scientific? Validity is Debated: • Rogers et al., (1999): MCMI III is unable to predict personality disorders. • methodology of this study criticized, however (Dyer & McCann, 2000) • Several studies in favor of MCMI III validity (see McCann, 2001) • One current textbook: “good reliabilty…excellent validity” (Groth-Marnat, 2016).

14. MCMI-III Question 1: Scientific? • Consensus: Possible “normal” meanings of elevations: • Histrionic elevations: sociability, makes friends easily • Compulsive elevations: rule oriented, hard working, conscientious • Narcissistic elevations: confidence, self-assurance • (McCann, et al., 2001; Groth-Marnat, 2016).

15. MCMI-III Question 1: Scientific? Elevations may correspond to strong traits, rather than problems or disorders (Groth-Marnat, 2016). • Can a context be found for the trait in the person’s life?

16. MCMI-III Question 2: Meet Daubert Standards? Four prongs of Daubert: • Can be tested scientifically (Yes) • Subject to peer review and publication (Yes) • Error rate is known and acceptable (Debated) • Obtained general acceptance (Wide acceptance) Underlying theories are incorporated in the the DSM personality disorders = broad acceptance One study of custody evaluators found that 77% believed the MCMI-III met Daubert standards (Bow, et al., 2006). • Bottom line: Debated with many supporters

17. MCMI-III Question 3: Appropriate for Child Custody? Need for a nuanced approach: • No Child Custody Litigant Scoring Group Adjust scores down on Desirability, Histrionic, Compulsive and Narcissistic scales for custody litigants (especially women) (McCann, et al., 2001) • Take context into account • Doesn’t pertain directly to parenting Form relevant hypotheses and test them against other information

18. Rorschach: Basics • 10 ambiguous looking inkblots • Responses to inkblots are said to represent the process by which a test taker makes sense of his environment • Psychologists like the Rorschach because it is less vulnerable to faking and defensiveness

19. Rorschach: Basics • Originally, scores were developed which statistically predicted mental health symptoms • By the 1950’s, five different scoring systems existed • In 1974, Exner published the Comprehensive System, taking aspects from all five systems.

20. Rorschach Question 1: Scientific? • Little support for the Rorschach without the Comprehensive System • Among trained experts, reliability is comparable to the MCMI or the MMPI (Groth-Marnat, 2016) • Validity of the Rorschach has been debated for decades with studies supporting both sides (Groth-Marnat, 2016)

21. Rorschach Question 1: Scientific? • Validity is better for thought and perceptual disorders such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar, and Borderline Personality Disorder compared with Depression and other mental health disorders • Validity increases with a highly trained, experienced evaluator

22. Rorschach Question 2: Meet Daubert Standards? Four prongs of Daubert: • Can be tested scientifically (Yes) • Subject to peer review and publication (Yes and No) Over half of the studies that the CS relies on and which are mentioned in the test manual have not been published (Erikson, et al., 2007; Groth- Marnat, 2016). • Error rate is known and acceptable (Debated) • Obtained general Acceptance (Equivocal) 54% of custody evaluators surveyed felt that it met Daubert criteria, yet more recommended against its use than for it (Bow, et al., 2006).

23. Rorschach Question 3: Appropriate for Child Custody? Need for a nuanced approach: • Need for normative information about child custody litigants Test could over-pathologize: Cautious Interpretation • Not directly about parenting • Need to account for context

24. Rorschach Question 3: Appropriate for Child Custody? • The test could be subject to critique and cross-examination, given the amount of negative research out there. • A psychologist should be well versed is the research that supports the validity of each score and be prepared to defend it in court.