The validity of Eysenck's neuroticism dimension within the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory in patients with duodenal ulcer. The Hvidovre Ulcer Project Group.

A psychometric analysis on patients with duodenal ulcer using latent structure coefficients (Loevinger and Mokken) showed that the MMPI subscales of depression, psychasthenia, hypochondriasis, hysteria, schizophrenia and social introversion all could be considered as indicators of Eysenck's dimension of neuroticism. Both a MMPI neuroticism scale of 15 items (MMPI/N-15) and of 21 items (MMPI/N-21) were psychometrically valid, i.e. the total score was a sufficient statistic. Patients with duodenal ulcer who improved during treatment also had a significant decrease in their neuroticism scores, whereas patients who did not improve had unchanged neuroticism scores. In other words, neuroticism is secondary to the clinical symptoms of duodenal ulcer (a psychological adjustment to illness) and not an etiological factor.