Brief Symptom Inventory for Spanish Speakers

The following research paper will present a review of studies using the MMPI-2 for Spanish language speakers, to include Mexican American and Mexicans in Mexico. In addition, a review of studies that used the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) with Spanish speakers, and the MMPI-2 and BSI, will be discussed.

Velasquez, Chavira, Karle, Callahan, Garcia, and Castellanos (2000) reviewed the findings of two studies that conducted research with the MMPI-2 and Latino students. The first study compared the administration of an English and a Spanish version of the MMPI-2. The second study administered two Spanish versions of the MMPI-2 (official Mexican adaptation and Version Hispana) and compared the results. Test-retest reliability was assessed in both studies and was found to be higher the first study, however, correspondence was found in both studies. The authors cautioned that perfect correspondence should not be concluded due to the need to study other sample groups such as psychiatric patients and individuals from the Latino community.

Hall, Bansal, and Lopez (1999) performed a meta-analyses on 25 studies that compared the MMPI and the MMPI-2 with different ethnic groups, to include Latino Americans. Findings were that effect sizes did not suggest significant differences in scores and neither test portrayed African Americans or Latinos as unfairly pathological. In additio

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le of immigrants and found the test to be a reliable and valid cross-cultural measure of psychological distress. Sanchez-Hervas, Tomas, and Morales (2001) studied psychopathological symptoms in male and female adults in Spain, with the BSI. This scale was used to assess global severity, distress intensity, and positive symptoms. Findings showed significantly higher levels of pathology in all cases of substance abuse, compared to controls. Results demonstrated the effectiveness of the BSI to distinguish levels of pathology in the Spanish population. Alternatively, Hemmings, Reimann, Madrigal, and Velasquez (1998) studied the use of the BSI in different ethnic female outpatient mental health clients. Mood disorder was the modal diagnosis. Findings were that ethnicity was a predictor of Somatic, Phobic, and Positive Symptom Totals; Mexican-Americans and African-Americans scored higher than Euro-Americans. Further, Coelho, Strauss, and Jenkins (1998) studied Latino and Euro-American psychiatric out-patients who were diagnosed with schizophrenia or major depression, comparing their responses to the BSI. Findings showed that differences in symptom expression were associated with ethnicity and these associations were greater than
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1541
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)