Comparison of MMPI Characteristics in Ulcerative Colitis, Hemodialysis patients & Normal Control Group

Kim, Hong Joo; Cho, Young Joong; Lee, Soong Hwan; Han, Dong Soo; Sohn, Joo Hyun; Kim, Ho Joong; Park, Kyung Nam; Cho, Yun Gyoo

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
For many years, inflammatory bowel disease has been thought to have a strong psychosomatic component, but recent prospective studies show no evidence of correlation between various psychologic factors and the disease activity. However, chronic renal disease still places unique stresses on the hemodialysis patients, with consequent emotional reactions. The aims of this study are to investigate the psychologic factors of ulcerative colitis and hemodialysis patients using MMPI scales, which are objective psychological test, thus give aid to psychological understanding of these patients. MOTHODS: We investigated 23 ulcerative colitis patients in remission followed at outpatient department of Hanyang University Hospital and 25 patients receiving hemodialysis between June, 1994 and August, 1995. Twenty students were selected for normal control group. We utilized T-score of each MMPI scale for analyzing characteristics of each group and regard T-score over 70 or below 40 as abnormal.
RESULTS
The average T-scores of each MMPI scale in ulcerative colitis, hemodialysis patients & normal control group were within normal range between 40 and 70, except for T-score of Es scale in hemodialysis patient group(34.5). The results of comparison between each MMPI scale of two patients & normal control group were as follows. 1) L scale was significantly elevated in ulcerative colitis & hemodialysis patients group compared with that of normal control group. F scale was significantly elevated in hemodialysis patients compared with that of ulcerative colitis patients & normal control group (p<0.01). 2) Hs(p<0.01), D, Pt(p<0.05) and Sc(p<0.01) scales were significantly elevated in hemodialysis patients compared with those of ulcerative colitis patients & normal control group. 3) Es scale was significantly lower in hemodialysis patients compared with that of ulcerative colitis patients & normal control group(p<0.01).
CONCLUSION
The result presented in this study reflects emotional disturbances, functional impairment, stressful life condition, excessive hypochondriacal thinking, depressed mood and egocentric tendency of hemodialysis patients compared with ulcerative colitis patients & normal control group. This result also reflects the projective tendency, hostility, difficulty in rapport formation, psychologic disturbance, obssesive and rigid personality, anxiety and retiredness of hemodialysis patients compared with ulcerative colitis patients & normal control group. On the other hand, we can't find any statistically significant differences between ulcerative colitis and normal control group.