Convergent validity of Rorschach and TAT scales of object relations.

The Rorschach Mutuality of Autonomy Scale (MOA) and the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS) have been shown to be reliable and valid measures of interpersonal functioning. Utilizing a sample of 57 outpatients with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Axis II diagnosis, this study extends the findings of previous research demonstrating the reliability and convergent validity of each measure. Analyses focused on the convergent validity between the Rorschach MOA Scale and 8 SCORS variables (complexity, affect, emotional investment in relationships, emotional investment in values and morals, understanding of social causality, management of impulses/aggression, self-esteem, identity/coherence of self) ratings of Thematic Apperception Test narratives. The conceptual nature and clinical utility of these findings are discussed in relation to psychological assessment.

Psychological assessment on internship: a survey of training directors and their expectations for students.

We used a survey of internship training directors to examine the nature of assessment use and assessment skills training at 382 internship settings in professional psychology across the United States and Canada. For the purposes of this study, we created a questionnaire that inquired about the types of assessment instruments used at each internship setting, the amount and type of training offered at internship sites, and the type of assessment experience desired of interns before beginning their rotations. The results revealed several differences across type of internship facility surveyed as well as several trends in the current use of assessment in applied settings. The findings further demonstrate the important role of projective assessment in the training of graduate students and lead to the conclusion that major discrepancies may exist between what is being taught in graduate school and what students are expected to know on entering their internship positions.

The effects of social cognition and object representation on psychotherapy continuation.

This study investigates the extent to which the number of psychotherapy sessions attended is predicted by the Rorschach Mutuality of Autonomy Scale (MOA; Urist, 1977), Holt primary (A1) and secondary (A2) process aggression variables (Holt, 1977), and ratings of Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) narratives using Westen's (1995) eight Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS) variables (complexity of representation of people, affective quality of representations, emotional investment in relationships, emotional investment in values and moral standards, understanding of social causality, experience and management of aggressive impulses, self-esteem, identity and coherence of self). Seventy-six patients with a DSM-IV Axis II diagnosis participated in this study. Two separate stepwise regression analyses (one for Rorschach variables, N = 76, and one for the SCORS ([TAT]) variables, n = 63) indicated that the Rorschach MOA PATH score (sum of scale points 5, 6, and 7; positive), as well as two individual SCORS variables (in order of relative magnitude, affective quality of representations, negative, and emotional investment in relationships, positive), were predictive of the number of psychotherapy sessions attended by patients. The conceptual nature and clinical utility of these variables are discussed in relation to the termination and continuation of psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Hand test AGG and AOS variables: relation with teacher rating of aggressiveness.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the Hand Test (Wagner, 1983) variables Aggression (AGG) and the Acting Out Score (AOS) were able to differentiate a group of children who were identified as aggressive and referred for psychological assessment by their teachers from a nonreferred, control group. Hand Test scores of 37 children who had consecutive referrals for psychological assessment because of aggressiveness were compared to the Hand Test scores of 37 children, matched on age and sex, from a nonreferred group. Through the use of an analysis of variance, AOS and AGG were found to significantly differentiate between the two groups. Spearman (rho) correlations between AGG and AOS scores with aggressive-referred status were rho = .45, p = .0001, and rho = .32, p = .006, respectively. Also, diagnostic efficiency statistics demonstrated moderate to high overall correct classification rates for AOS > or = 0 and AGG > or = 2 in identifying children in the aggressive-referred group. The results of this study provide support for the validity of the AGG and AOS scores in the assessment of aggressive behavior in children and demonstrate the utility of the Hand Test to identify aggressive tendencies in children.

Use of the TAT in the assessment of DSM-IV cluster B personality disorders.

The Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS), developed by Western, Lohr, Silk, Kerber, and Goodrich (1985), is a diagnostic instrument used to assess an array of psychological functioning by using clinical narratives such as the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Murray, 1943) stories. This study investigated the utility of the SCORS to differentiate between Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) antisocial personality disorder (ANPD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), and Cluster C personality disorder (CPD). A sample of 58 patients was separated into four groups: ANPD (n = 9), BPD (n = 21; 18 with a primary BPD diagnosis and 3 with prominent borderline traits who met 4 of the 5 DSM-IV criteria necessary for a BPD diagnosis), NPD (n = 16; 8 with a primary NPD diagnosis and 8 with prominent narcissistic traits who met 4 of the 5 DSM-IV criteria necessary for a NPD diagnosis), and CPD (n = 12). These groups were then compared on the 8 SCORS variables by using 5 TAT cards (1, 2, 3BM, 4, and 13MF). Spearman-Brown correction for 2-way mixed effects model of reliability for the 8 SCORS variables ranged from .70 to .95. The results of categorical and dimensional analyses indicate that (a) SCORS variables can be used to differentiate ANPD, BPD, and NPD; (b) the BPD group scored significantly lower (greater maladjustment) than did the CPD group on certain variables; (c) the BPD group scored significantly lower (greater maladjustment) than did the NPD group on all 8 SCORS variables; (d) the ANPD group scored significantly lower than did the NPD group on certain variables; (e) certain variables were found to be empirically related to the total number of DSM-IV ANPD, BPD, and NPD criteria; and (f) certain variables were found to be empirically related to Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) Personality disorder scales. The results of this study are discussed in terms of clinical utility, conceptual, and theoretical implications.

Use of the Hand Test in the classification of psychiatric inpatient adolescents.

This study investigates the extent to which 2 Hand Test variables, the Pathology summary score (PATH) and the Acting Out Score (AOS), were able to differentiate among 3 groups of adolescents. Thirty psychiatric inpatient adolescents diagnosed with various Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) behavioral and emotional disorders were compared to 30 outpatient and 30 nonclinical adolescents matched on age, grade, and sex. An analysis of variance demonstrated the ability of both PATH and AOS to significantly differentiate among the 3 groups. Multiple regression equations utilized PATH and AOS as significant predictors of inpatient status (p < .0001) and general patient (inpatient and outpatient) status (p < .0001). Utilizing diagnostic efficiency statistics, overall correct classification was found to be highest for PATH > or = 3 and AOS > or = 2. These findings support the application of the Hand Test as a useful assessment tool for adolescents suspected of having psychiatric disorders and present evidence for the use of PATH and AOS for classification purposes in ways that are clinically meaningful.