(PS8-C56) The Effect of COVID-19 on MCMI-IV Score Profiles Among Parental Fitness Litigants

            The COVID-19 pandemic, which started during March 2020 and continues to the present time, has created challenges in many areas for most, if not all, individuals. Research (Tunc, 2021), for example, shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an exacerbation of symptoms of traumatic stress and anxiety as compared to pre-pandemic symptoms. Parental fitness evaluations examine whether a parent is able to care for their child or children. These are most often initiated by a child protective service agency, related to allegations of child abuse or neglect, and submitted to the court for review. Parental fitness evaluations have been conducted, albeit with different methodologies (e.g., use of tele-psychology), since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as these evaluations provide important information to the court and other stakeholders in child abuse or neglect cases. Parental fitness evaluations typically include a record review, an interview, and psychological testing. This study seeks to examine whether there have been significant differences in scores on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, 4^th Edition (MCMI-IV) when comparing protocols from parental fitness evaluations conducted prior to March 2020 and protocols from parental fitness evaluations conducted since March 2020. Roughly 100 MCMI-IV score profiles have been compiled from a sample of parental fitness litigants from a private practice located in the northeastern region of the United States. The findings from this exploratory study have the potential to be valuable for both forensic and clinical psychologists as they conduct parental fitness evaluations and/or provide services to parents involved with the child welfare system.