Congruence of the MCMI-II and MCMI-III in cocaine dependence

This study compared the MCMI-II and MCMI-III among 40 urban, poor, cocaine abusers in outpatient treatment. The mean group profiles had strikingly similar relative elevations on the Antisocial, Narcissistic, Aggressive-Sadistic, Alcohol Dependence, and Drug Dependence scales. However, the MCMI-III group profile was significantly lower in magnitude compared with the MCMI-II. Interval and rank-order correlations were moderate to low for most scales, and 90% of participants produced discrepant 2-point codetypes between the 2 tests. These results suggest that clinicians working in substance abuse settings should perhaps adjust MCMI-III profile elevations upward on most scales (particularly on the personality disorder scales) when comparing results to extant normative data and should use caution when referencing MCMI/MCMI-II interpretive manuals for descriptive correlates of MCMI-III scales and codetypes.