1. Comparing Gender Differences on the MMPI-2 RF
across American and Korean Normative and Clinical samples
Jiebing Wang,1 Shehroo B. Pudumjee,1 Seth C. Courrégé,1 Nathan C. Weed,1 Kyunghee Han,1 Yossef S. Ben-Porath,2 Kyungjoo Moo,3 Ji-Hae Kim4
1 Central Michigan University 2 Kent State University 3 Maumsarang Inc., Seoul, Korea 4 Samsung Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korean
Introduction
Participants, cont.
Results
Conclusions and Discussion
Korean clinical sample (N = 395): (1) the inpatient sample (N = 158; 40%) consisted of 64 men (Mage = 36.02, SD = 14.99) and 94 women (Mage = 40.07, SD = 15.39); (2) the outpatient sample (N = 237; 60%) consisted of 112 men (Mage = 34.86, SD = 15.06) and 125 women (Mage = 41.19, SD = 14.97) from facilities of Samsung National Hospital in Seoul, Korea.
The American samples (both normative and clinical) had a higher proportion of items with substantial gender differences (true endorsement absolute difference ≥ 20% by gender) than did the Korean samples. 
A higher proportion of items with gender differences was found in the American normative sample than in the American clinical sample. In the Korean samples, however, no such difference was found. 
Across cultures and settings, items with gender differences reflected traditional gender interests and behaviors, which included masculine interests, specific fears, antisocial behaviors, emotional sensitivity, artistic interests, athletic interests, and impulsiveness.
Of all the factors, the traditional masculinity factor was found to distinguish gender best for American samples (d = 1.44 for American normative sample; d = 1.36 for American clinical sample) but not for Korean samples.
One limitation of the study should be mentioned. The cross-cultural comparison may introduce the sample bias as the percentage of diagnostic status was different across two clinical samples.
The MMPI-2 Masculinity-Femininity scale (Mf) scale shows large mean gender differences in American and other international samples.  In a previous study using normative standardization samples, Han, Park, Weed, Lim, Johnson and Joles (2013) examined gender differences on the MMPI-2 and MMPI-A at the item level.  The proportion of items with gender differences was higher in the American sample than in the Korean samples. Across cultures and ages, items with gender differences reflected stereotyped gender behaviors, emotions, and interests.
Items showing ≥ 20% gender differences by sample
Research Purpose
The aim of the present study was to expand upon the previous effort by examining the gender differences on the MMPI-2-RF across American and Korean normative and clinical samples. 
Statistical Analyses
Searching for items that distinguish between genders
For each of the four samples, we (a) calculated the % of “true” responses to each MMPI-2 RF items (“true endorsement %”) separately by gender, (b) subtracted the true endorsement % of the female sample from that of the male sample, (c) obtained the absolute percentages of gender differences, (d) used ≥ 20% differences as a criterion to select items that distinguish best between genders.
Searching for underlying themes
For each of the four samples, we (a) conducted factor analysis for the items with ≥ 20% gender differences by using principal axis factoring and oblique rotation (Oblimin); (b) used solution interpretability as the guide for deciding the number of the factors to be exacted; (c) asked six psychology graduate students who were blind to the study to review the pattern matrices independently and name the factors; (d) reviewed the names and used consensus to finalize the name for each factor.
Participants
American adult normative sample (N= 2,276; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008) consists of 1,138 men (Mage = 41.71, SD = 15.32) and 1,138 women (Mage = 40.44, SD = 15.25).
Korean adult normative sample (N = 1302; Han, Moon, Lee, & Kim, 2011) consists of 651 men (Mage = 38.77, SD = 13.18) and 651 women (Mage = 40.26, SD = 13.73).
American clinical sample (N = 1,980): (1) the inpatient sample (N = 1,499; 75.7%) consisted of 1,136 men (Mage = 43.02, SD = 14.30) and 363 women (Mage = 35.13, SD = 12.08); (2) the outpatient sample (N = 481; 24.3%) consisted of 179 men (Mage = 35.61, SD = 10.74) and 302 women (Mage = 33.37, SD = 9.81).
Factor names
American normative sample:
Traditional Masculinity (d=1.44)
Specific Fears/Phobias (d=-.91)
Externalizing/Antisocial Behaviors (d=.84)
Emotional Sensitivity (d=-.53)
Artistic Interests (d=-.78)
American clinical sample:
Traditional Masculinity (d=1.36)
Somatic Complaints (d=-.70)
Athletic Interests (d=.78)
Korean normative sample:
Traditional Masculinity (d=.50)
Specific Fears/Phobias (d=-.70)
Korean clinical sample:
Impulsiveness (d=.63)
Traditional Masculinity (d=-.50)
References
Han, K., Moon, K., Lee, J., & Kim, J. (2011). The Korean MMPI-2-RF (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restrucutred Form) user manual. Seoul, Korea: Maumsarang Inc.
Han, K., Park, H. I., Weed, N. C., Lim, J., Johnson, A., & Joles, C. (2013). Gender differences on the MMPI across American and Korean adult and adolescent normative samples. Journal of Personality Assessment, 95,
Tellegen, A., & Ben-Porath, Y. S. (2008). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2 RF): Technical manual. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.