Discriminative validity of the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale with cluster B personality disorders

This study was designed to assess the ability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale (MAC-R) to differentiate between outpatients with personality disorders with Substance-Related Disorders (SRDs) and without SRDs. MMPI-2 validity clinical, and MAC-R scale scores were compared in an SRD Cluster B group (comprised of Narcissistic. Antisocial. Borderline, and Histrionic: n = 15), a non-SRD Cluster B group (n = 33), and a non-SRD group with personality disorders from Clusters A and C (n = 18). Results revealed that the substance-abusing Cluster B group scored significantly higher on the MAC-R (p < .0001) as well as the Psychopathic Deviate scale (p < .01). Dimensional analyses illustrated that MAC-R scores were related to the presence of an SRD diagnosis (rpb = .70, p < .0001) and diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (r = .60. p < .0001). Stepwise regression revealed that (in order of magnitude) the presence of a substance-abuse diagnosis followed by diagnostic criteria for Antisocial and Histrionic Personality Disorders were most related to MAC-R scores(R = .78. R-2 = .60). This indicates that the MAC-R may be more related to the presence of an SRD than has been suggested, and when used in outpatient settings as MacAndrew (1965) intended, the MAC-R may be useful as a screening device for assessing SRD among outpatients with Axis Il psychopathology. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.