Birth cohort increases in psychopathology among young Americans, 1938-2007: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of the MMPI.
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| Abstract |
:
Two cross-temporal meta-analyses find large generational increases in psychopathology among American college students (N=63,706) between 1938 and 2007 on the MMPI and MMPI-2 and high school students (N=13,870) between 1951 and 2002 on the MMPI-A. The current generation of young people scores about a standard deviation higher (average d=1.05) on the clinical scales, including Pd (Psychopathic Deviation), Pa (Paranoia), Ma (Hypomania), and D (Depression). Five times as many now score above common cutoffs for psychopathology, including up to 40% on Ma. The birth cohort effects are still large and significant after controlling for the L and K validity scales, suggesting that the changes are not caused by response bias. The results best fit a model citing cultural shifts toward extrinsic goals, such as materialism and status and away from intrinsic goals, such as community, meaning in life, and affiliation. |
| Year of Publication |
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2010
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| Journal |
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Clinical psychology review
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| Volume |
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30
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| Issue |
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2
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| Number of Pages |
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145-54
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| ISSN Number |
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0272-7358
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| URL |
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https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0272-7358(09)00141-X
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| DOI |
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10.1016/j.cpr.2009.10.005
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| Short Title |
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Clin Psychol Rev
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| Download citation |