An investigation of the utility of an MMPI posttraumatic stress disorder subscale

This study attempted to cross-validate an MMPI subscale designed to diagnose posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The PTSD subscale scores of 19 Vietnam combat veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD were compared to those of 40 Vietnam era veterans with a psychiatric diagnosis other than PTSD. Diagnostic hit rates were considerably lower than those reported in the original investigation despite several attempts to control for misdiagnosis.