Derivation of the MMPI-2-RF Henry-Heilbronner Index-r (HHI-r) scale

Abstract

The 15-item Henry-Heilbronner Index (HHI) was published in 2006 as an MMPI-2 embedded measure of psychological response validity. When the MMPI-2 was revised in 2008 only 11 of the 15 original HHI items were retained on the MMPI-2-RF, prohibiting use of the HHI as an embedded validity indicator on the MMPI-2-RF. Using the original HHI sample an 11-item version of the HHI, the HHI-r, was evaluated for use as an embedded measure of psychological response validity for the MMPI-2-RF. The 11-item HHI-r was very similar to the HHI in classification accuracy. An HHI-r cutoff score of ≥7 was associated with a classification accuracy rate of 84.0%, good sensitivity (68.9%), and high specificity (93.2%) in identifying symptom exaggeration in personal injury and disability litigants versus non-litigating head-injured patients. These preliminary results suggest the HHI-r functions in a manner similar to the original HHI as a measure of psychological response validity, and may be used by psychologists and neuropsychologists as an MMPI-2-RF embedded validity indicator.