P02-134 - Developing a Viable Slavic-language Personality Inventory for Police & Security Forces in Bosnia, Croatia & Serbia

Abstract

Objectives

Studies have shown police corruption to be a major problem within the police and security forces in the former war-torn Balkan nations, notably Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia. Current European Union and USA training programs do not adequately address the issue of mental and character suitability for law enforcement personnel. An existing, and little used, Slavic-language version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-201) is grossly lacking in that it is too short a version and does not lend itself to the rich predictived material that makes the MMPI a viable and strong assessment tool. The MMPI-201 profile also omits critical clinical scales.

Method

We have translated and modernized the first 360 items in the original MMPI into the Slavic language thereby providing a viable personality inventory that can draw on over 60 years of predictive research relevant to professional suitability as well as ruling-out any presenting clinical mental health and/or charaterologic problems. We are currently in the process of validating this instrument by using both the “alternate test” and “test-retest” modes. Here, students, who are competent in both the Slavic and English languages, enrolled in the College of Criminal Sciences and the Law, in both Bosnia and Serbia are administered both the English and Slavic-language instruments at different settings at least a week apart. Both versions are then compared for each subject (N= 50 to 100 for each country) relevant to an estimation of fit for assessing the reliability of the Slavic-Language Personality Inventory.