Ethnic Differences on the MMPI Overcontrolled-Hostility Scale

The effects of race and the validity of Megargee, Cook, and Mendelsohn's (1967) Overcontrolled-Hostility (O-H) Scale were examined using 412 male forensic psychiatric inpatients. Regression analysis using the total study sample indicated that the only predictor of O-H score was race, with Black patients scoring higher than White patients. In fact, Black patients scored at least 5 T scores higher than the White patients, and approximately 43% of the Black patients received O-H scores greater than 69. The race effect could not be explained by prehospitalization employment status or education. Pattern of criminal history and clinical problems were examined via analyses of variance (ANOVAs) in a subsample of 224 subjects. None of the descriptors of the overcontrolled-hostile personality were identified as related to O-H scores. The results of this study suggest that Black patients are more likely to be incorrectly labeled as overcontrolled-hostile personalities.