Does MMPI assessed at medical school admission predict psychological problems in later years?

OBJECTIVE: Psychological distress among medical students is related to personality. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a common instrument used to assess personality and psychological problems during the medical school admission process in Thailand. The purpose of this study was to examine how the MMPI can predict medical students’ psychological problems including perceived stress, anxiety, depression, interpersonal difficulties as well as self-esteem in later years. RESULTS: Anxiety and depressive symptoms were predicted by the psychopathic deviation, psychasthenia, and schizophrenia scales of the MMPI, while perceived stress was predicted by schizophrenia scale of MMPI. Social introversion predicted interpersonal difficulties. No MMPI scale was found to predict self-esteem. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-019-4524-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.