Personality variables and allergic skin reactivity. A cross-validation study.

In an earlier investigation, psychological test differences were found between groups of women with allergy symptoms who differed in degree of hypersensitivity on allergy skin testing. In the present study the MMPI and other tests were given to 132 women patients with asthma, rhinitis, or hay fever. Patients with minimal evidence of hypersensitivity on skin tests (nonreactors and weak reactors) expressed significantly more personal discomfort and unhappiness than women with clear evidence of hypersensitivity (moderate and strong reactors). Nonreactors described themselves as more passive, negative, withdrawn, and complaining than the relatively satisfied and confident stronger reactors. Differences between groups were found on several clinical scales, an item analysis, and a large number of experimental scales. These findings confirm the previous conclusion that there are measurable, important psychological differences within samples of allergy patients, related to degree of demonstrable hypersensitivity on skin testing. Thus many contradictions in the literature may have resulted from inadvertent mixing of physiologically and psychologically dissimilar groups.