Week 2 Assignment: Analyze Research and Assessments in Psychopathology
Week 2 Assignment: Analyze Research and Assessments in Psychopathology
Week 2-Assignment: Analyze Research and Assessments in Psychopathology
Psychopathology entails the expression of mental impairment based on psychological signs and symptoms. The use of different tests allows specialists in psychopathology to collect information about a client’s psychological and mental health apart from the ordinary interviews during such sessions. The basis of these tests is that a person’s spontaneous or unrehearsed responses show intrinsic secrets or significant information about their personality and innermost ideas and thoughts. These tests demonstrate the developed theory of psychopathology or the expression of mental impairments (Halmatov, 2020). These assessment tools or tests include Rorschach Inkblot Test, the thematic apperception test, the Millon clinical multiaxial inventory, and the Minnesota multiphasic inventory among others. The purpose of this paper is to locate and analyze four research articles in psychopathology involving the use of different assessment tools or instruments. The paper offers a summary of each of the articles based on the research question and hypotheses, methods and research approach employed, the findings, the assessment tool deployed, and the reliability and validity of the instrument used in the article.
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Article 1
Research Question and Hypotheses
In their article, Alareqe et al. (2022) examine the validity of using an adult psychopathology framework based on psychiatric patients from a developing nation. This article aims to test and validate the two-factor measurement tool of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) as a psychopathology assessment tool. The article hypothesizes that the use of MCMI is a good model for the internalizing-externalizing two-factors approach among adults with psychopathology issues. Again, the researchers hypothesize adult psychopathology internalizing-externalizing approach is a valid approval of the MCMI model as an assessment tool that can be used in evaluating close to ten personality disorders.
Methods and Research Approach
The article by Alarege et al. (2022) uses certain research methods and approaches to validate their findings. The researchers used a correlational structural equation modeling design. This approach was based on the covariance matrix analysis. The researchers considered observable variables of personality disorders and psychopathology in MCMI as the dependent variables while the external and internal influences of psychopathology were the exogenous variables. The approach also entailed getting participants and complying with acceptable procedures based on their inclusion criteria to get the best findings. For instance, the researchers gathered data from the participants for over four months using a simple random sampling approach. The researchers also got ethical approval from the respective entity to conduct the study.
Findings
The researchers’ findings are categorical that the MCMI tool was an efficient scale with a two-factor framework; internalizing-externalizing model in psychopathology. The researchers’ findings are categorical in that psychopathology is categorized into two areas; the internalizing and externalizing constructs. The findings show that the MCMI as an assessment test or tool is critical in attaining a better understanding of the different areas of personality disorders that affect individuals based on the two-factor model or approach. The authors found that the internalizing model validated mental disorders used in research studies before on psychopathology as well as included more conditions in the spectrum. The authors assert that the findings are congruent with Millon’s theory which considers the significance of the wide range of general maladjustment factors with influence from several other disorders. The implication is that the findings are categorical that the MCMI model is a core assessment tool that mental health providers can employ to assess and gather more information from patients concerning their mental health issues.
Reliability and Validity of the Instrument
The article notes that the MCMI is a reliable and valid psychopathology tool that can help providers collect more data on clients with mental health conditions, especially comorbidities. The article shows that using the MCMI model proves the two-factor approach; internalizing-externalizing spectrum to diagnose a variety of psychopathological issues affecting individuals, especially from developing nations like Yemen. For instance, the article notes that using the model expands the structure of internalizing psychopathology to identify more clinical syndromes and ten personality disorders.
Article II
The second article is by Mazza et al. (2019) which explores the use of machine learning in detecting personality faking-good among males. The study bases its new model the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2.
Research Question and Hypotheses
The researchers hypothesized that using machine learning (ML) models can help detect malingering among the selected participants. The authors also aimed at investigating the possible use of this methodology when individuals are trained on behavioral aspects like response time and time pressure to determine behavior in self-report personality.
Methods and Research Approach
The researchers used a sample size of 175 participants, all male and Caucasian. They assigned the participants randomly in four groups. These included honest speeded, faking-good speeded, honest unspeeded, and faking-good unspeeded. The article employed a software version of the Minnesota Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). The article deployed machine learning models as the general method of the study to evaluate the hypothesis that the researchers had developed.
Findings
The article asserts that in most cases, individuals can fake cognitive and behavioral symptoms, including naïve and non-coached participants. Consequently, the article asserts that the use of psychometric tools is essential to confirm if the test scores accurately mirror dysfunctions or whether the respondents attempted to simulate or exaggerate the difficulties that they encounter. The outcomes show that machine learning algorithms have high accuracy levels in detecting fakers. This happened when the participants were asked to respect by exerting time pressure. The article notes that the performance of classifiers was reduced when the participants responded without time restrictions to the MMPI-2-RF items. Under this model, the level of accuracy was between 75% to 85% in the test set. The study demonstrates that while psychopathology models are essential in collecting data from clients, they can be manipulated to give fake symptoms or signs to the respective patients or clients.
Reliability and Validity of the Instrument
The study shows that under time pressure, the MMPI-2-RF cannot accurately detect the phenomenon under investigation, especially the collection of accurate data from clients with mental health conditions. The study shows that when it is difficult to instruct clients to respond with a certain amount of speed or level of accuracy, for instance, in forensic settings, the validity levels of the MMPI-2-RF are not adequate to accurately give correct data as the clients can fake symptoms and signs. The study shows that while MMPI-2-RF is a strong tool for psychopathology, its reliability and validity are not guaranteed because of the inaccurate results that it can provide when used under pressure.
Article III
In their article, Mondal and Kumar (2021) explore the use of the Rorschach inkblot test and psychopathology in patients with schizophrenia. The authors opine that the Rorschach test is well-known and the most prevalent projective test for evaluating personality and diagnostic assessment for the detection of psychiatric disorders.
Research Question and Hypotheses
The hypothesis that the researchers wanted to prove is that Rorschach offers specific and general knowledge concerning the various areas of personality functioning that include coping style, emotions, management of stress, meditation, and ideation as well as self-perception, and interpersonal relationships and correlates with the psychopathology of individuals suffering from schizophrenia.
Methods and Research Approach
The authors use a correctional study design where 100 schizophrenia patients are recruited as research subjects. The researchers based the selection criteria on the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision Diagnostic Criteria for Research (ICD-10 DCR). They also gathered sociodemographic and clinical information using appropriate tools. The researchers employed the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms to evaluate the symptoms of the participants. They then administered the Rorschach test at the individual level to the research subjects to evaluate the personality structure of each person with the condition.
Findings
The researchers assert that the results demonstrate both negative and positive correlations between the two types of schizophrenia symptoms; negative and positive. These differences were also apparent through the use of the Rorschach test as they presented variables. For instance, the findings show that individuals suffering from schizophrenia and presenting positive and negative symptoms give Rorschach variables that illustrate or show a moderate degree of cognitive distortions and reduced conventional responses. The results also indicate that these patients show bad perceptions and do not live with reality because of distortion. They also have poor interpersonal interactions and relationships and show increased levels of anxiety and aggression.
Reliability and Validity of the Instrument Used
As asserted by the authors, the Rorschach test is one of the most prevalent and dependable psychopathology tests or tools used in assessing mental health issues and problems among different health populations. The authors demonstrate that the test or tool is effective as it profiles individuals based on their unique features concerning their mental health issues like schizophrenia. Rorschach is reliable and a valid tool to evaluate and determine the most effective interventions for individuals suffering from schizophrenia as well as other psychological and mental conditions, including anxiety and other personality disorders. The test makes it possible to determine if something is wrong in any given personality and helps in understanding the psychopathology of such individuals in different settings or situations.
Article IV
Through knowledge about the validity of individual test results, psychopathologists can avoid and eliminate invalid scores and make judgments that may cause possible harm to their clients. The use of projective drawing tests is fundamental to assessing and gathering information on mental health issues that individuals, especially children and adolescents, may be going through. In their article, Ballus et al. (2023) explore the use of projective drawing as a tool to explore and prevent mistreatment and sexual abuse experiences among children.
Research Question and Hypotheses
In this study, the researchers hypothesize that using the draw-a-person (D.A.P) test as part of the projective drawing tests can help gather information on different aspects of children’s mistreatment and possible sexual abuse.
H1: The authors hypothesized that having graphic indicators of child sexual abuse (CSA) will occur on drawings of the sample in situations of dire risk or neglect.
H2: Over half of the participants will indicate the highest level and occurrence of emotional indicators that align with the upper percentiles of the Two Human Figure test (T2F) and this confirms the presence of emotional problems.
Methods and Research Approach
Using a sample of 34 children, between the ages of five and eleven, who attended a specialized learning facility in Barcelona Town Hall, the researchers deploy a quantitative research approach to gather these experiences and develop recommendations on interventions. The sample comprised 17 boys and 17 girls selected randomly from the population getting care in the setting of focus. The use of the projective drawing approach, in this case, is due to the primitive nature of the drawing and is the easiest way for children to express themselves, especially if they have traumatic experiences like mistreatment or sexual abuse. Further, the researchers used measures like indicators of childhood sexual abuse through human figure drawings and the projective two-human figure test.
Findings
The findings from the study confirm the two hypotheses that the researchers developed at the start of the trial. For instance, the findings were categorical that a significant number of the minors who participated in the study had emotional issues or a high possibility of getting them. The authors assert that based on the sampled children being in situations of severe neglect and risk, their findings align with previous studies that indicate the chronic experience of various types of mistreatment that the children encounter. The authors also say that over half of the drawings by the children who were in difficult situations and risks depicted graphic indicators as illustrative of sexual abuse.
Reliability and Validity of Projective Drawing Test
The article shows that projective drawing tests are not only reliable but also valid as they allow psychologists and other mental health providers to gather critical information about the experiences of their clients. The study illustrates that projective drawing tests like Draw-a-Person (D.A.P) are effective because they offer an accurate overview of the results emanating from any sample and depict psychopathological aspects (Halmatov, 2020). For instance, the tool in this case detects different emotional and psychological issues that the sampled children encounter and which should be tackled to improve their mental health.
Conclusion
Psychopathology is essential and helps mental health providers to gather information and data on different aspects of a client’s disease and condition. As discussed, the use of the identified psychopathology assessment tools leads to accurate information and identification of symptoms. However, other assessment tools like MMPI-2-RF remain controversial because they have low accuracy levels and may lead to the use of harmful therapeutic interventions.
References
Alareqe, N. A., Hassan, S. A., Kamarudin, E. M. E., Aljaberi, M. A., Nordin, M. S., Ashureay,
N. M., & Mohammed, L. A. (2022). Validity of adult psychopathology model using a psychiatric patient sample from a developing country: confirmatory factor analysis. Mental Illness, 2022. DOI:10.1155/2022/9594914
Ballús, E., Comelles, M. C., Pasto, M. T., & Benedico, P. (2023). Children’s drawings as a
projective tool to explore and prevent experiences of mistreatment and/or sexual abuse. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1002864. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1002864
Halmatov, S. (2020). Evaluation of the Pictures Drawn by ‘Adults for Non-Existent Animal’ Test
by Gender. European Journal of Educational Research, 9(3), 1115-1125. DOI:10.12973/eu-jer.9.3.1115
Mazza, C., Monaro, M., Orrù, G., Burla, F., Colasanti, M., Ferracuti, S., & Roma, P. (2019).
Introducing machine learning to detect personality faking-good in a male sample: a new model based on Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory-2 restructured form scales and reaction times. Frontiers in psychiatry, 10, 389. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00389
Mondal, A., & Kumar, M. (2021). Rorschach inkblot test and psychopathology among patients
suffering from schizophrenia: A correlational study. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 30(1), 74. DOI: 10.4103/ipj.ipj_74_20.
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Warm Up Activity 2.1
Many people are exposed to the Rorschach Test through the entertainment media. The test, created by Hermann Rorschach in the 1920s, involved using 10 inkblots to assess the person’s mental state. The theory behind the projective (and subjective) tests is that the individual’s spontaneous or unrehearsed responses reveal deep secrets or significant information about his or her personality or innermost thoughts. How valid and reliable is this test? Visit The Rorschach Test for a gallery of the original inkblots.
Assignment
In this assignment, you will locate four research articles in the field of psychopathology; each article should be about research that involved the use an assessment instrument. Prepare a summary of each article. For each article:
Note the research question and hypotheses
The methods and research approach used
The findings
The assessment instrument used
The reliability and validity of the instrument as noted in the article
Length: 5-7 pages
Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University’s Academic Integrity Policy.