A new perspective on gender orientation measurement with the MMPI-2: development of the Masculine-Feminine Pathology Scale.

A new scale of gender orientation for the MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-II; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) called the Masculine-Feminine Pathology Scale, or Mfp, was developed as an alternative to the available Mf, GM, and GF scales. It differs from previous scales in its emphasis on symptomatic correlates of gender. Items were included in the new scale if they (a) discriminated between male and female psychiatric patients and (b) were likely to be indicators of psychopathology. Statistical analyses suggested an acceptably reliable but factorially complex scale. When used to predict clinician ratings of global psychopathology, the scale demonstrated incremental validity over both the existing gender-related scales and the traditional clinical scales. Scores at the "feminine" end of the Mfp scale seem to reflect distress characterized by high levels of anxiety. Scores at the "masculine" end of the Mfp scale suggest a more composed interpersonal presentation, which may reflect an amoral attitude. It is suggested that the new scale may prove superior to the existing gender role scales as a supplement to other clinical scales. Avenues for future research with the Mfp scale are discussed.