Psychological health of young adults who experienced early parent death: MMPI trends.

Psychological effects that result from childhood parent loss by death are of substantial clinical and research importance. Parent loss has been linked with various psychopathology, though little is known of its effects on subsequent psychological health (a) as a function of the child's sex; (b) in normal individuals; (c) where early parent separation also has occurred. This study provides data on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-168 (MMPI-168) that address these issues. Ss were normals (16 males and 16 females per group) divided into three groups: Early bereaved (up to age 7), late bereaved (ages 12 to 18), and nonbereaved. In 50% of the bereaved individuals, two or more MMPI-168 clinical scales were pathologically abnormal compared with 28% of controls. Significant parent loss by child's sex interaction effects were obtained on Psychopathic Deviate, Masculinity-Femininity, Psychasthenia, and Schizophrenia scales. A significant effect was found for early parent separation on the Schizophrenia scale.