A Psychometric Examination of the US Spanish MMPI-3: Reliability, Validity, and Comparability to the English Form

The US Spanish Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) is a recently released translated version of the well-researched English MMPI-3. The current study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the US Spanish MMPI-3 and its comparability to the English version. Data was extracted from a larger study on the functionality of the MMPI-3 in bilingual college students. Subjects (n = 303) were Latinx Spanish/English bilingual college students recruited from two Texas universities (Sam Houston State University and University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley) who were administered both translations of the MMPI-2-Restructured Form-Extended Battery (MMPI-2-RF-EX) and later the MMPI-3 in a counterbalanced design across two timepoints. First, we examined internal consistency and inter-item correlations for all Spanish and English MMPI-3 scales. Overall, scales exhibited adequate internal consistency and inter-item correlations. Next, we conducted test-retest correlations between same language MMPI-3’s administered a week apart to determine test-retest reliability of the separate forms, which rendered adequate test-retest reliability. We then ran correlation analyses between the two language versions of the MMPI-3 and found adequate convergence and divergence between the forms. Lastly, we conducted correlational analyses between the Spanish and English MMPI-3 versions with external criterion measures of personality and general psychopathology. Steiger’s z-tests were used to determine whether associations with external criteria differ across test versions. Analyses suggested minimal differences between the forms with some notable differences, particularly within the Psychoticism domain. There were also some scales, specifically externalizing and substance use, with range restriction that limited significant findings. Overall, the current study demonstrated the US Spanish MMPI-3 can be used within a Latinx, bilingual college sample.