Biomedical subjects
B J Otto
Publications and source records attributed to B J Otto.
Mmpi characteristics of parents referred for child-custody studies.
Despite a growing trend toward, and acceptance of, joint-custody decisions, the majority of contested child placements in divorce cases are still completed through the court systems. As a result, mental health professionals remain active in assisting courts in this process through custody studies where the relative merits of each parent are established. Noticeably lacking, however, has been even descriptive data on the personality characteristics of these parents. Results from a sample (N = 38) indicated that custodial parents represented themselves in a healthier fashion, coped with feelings of anger and impulsivity more effectively, were more trusting and open toward others, and received lower alcohol use scores than noncustodial parents.
Marital MMPI characteristics: a test of Arnold's signs.
Investigated the usefulness of Arnold's Signs (certain MMPI personality characteristics) in examining marital discord among three clinical groups of married couples (N = 72). Couples who were parents of children brought to a mental health facility, couples who were seeking marital counseling, and couples in the process of divorce. While it was predicted that the divorcing group would reveal the most amount of discord, results revealed that the counseling group was consistently higher on all of the signs that reached significance. Possible explanations and recommendations for the use of Arnold's Signs are made.