Demographic, behavioral, and psychometric characteristics of persons denied unescorted access on the basis of psychological assessment

The author examines the demographic, behavioral, and psychometric characteristics of persons who were denied unescorted access authorization from protected areas and vital islands of nuclear power plants, in accordance with the relevant proposed rule of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Demographic characteristics examined include age, sex, occupation, education, marital status, and number of children. Behavioral characteristics examined include substance use/abuse/treatment and instances of antisocial behavior. Psychometric characteristics examined include elevations on basic MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) clinical scales, elevations on special indices of psychosis and substance abuse, and endorsement of so-called critical items. These characteristics are compared to those of a random sample of persons who appeared to be emotionally stable and who were not denied unescorted access on the basis of psychological assessment.<>