About

Paul A. Arbisi is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota. His research extensively focuses on psychological assessment and mental health, with particular expertise in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and its applications. Arbisi's work contributes to understanding psychopathology, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and mental health issues among military populations, including National Guard soldiers and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. His research integrates scale validation and longitudinal studies to explore resilience, chronic pain, and mental health service utilization in military and veteran populations. Arbisi has been involved in multiple federally funded research projects examining mechanisms of resilience, risk and resilience factors predicting psychological outcomes, and the interplay of chronic pain and PTSD in veterans. His scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed articles on the genetic and developmental profiles of autism, the shared genetic architecture of PTSD with cardiovascular conditions, and the psychometric properties of PTSD assessment tools. Arbisi's work aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, and reduced inequalities, reflecting his commitment to advancing mental health research and its applications to improve outcomes for diverse populations.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Medicine
• Biology
• Psychotherapist
• Applied psychology
• Engineering
• Genetics

Selected publications

• Validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–3 Eating Concerns (EAT) Scale: A study with National Guard veterans and their romantic partners.

  Psychological Services · 2025-08-25 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Development and validation of screening tools for eating disorders is crucial for enhancing early intervention efforts among military-connected populations. The recently released Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) includes the novel Eating Concerns (EAT) scale to assess aspects of problematic eating behavior. Our study evaluated the effectiveness of EAT by comparing it to a multidimensional indicator of eating disorder-related pathology. We examined responses from 349 U.S. National Guard veterans and their romantic partners using both the MMPI-3 and the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI). Participants were 53% men, 47% women, 76% employed, and 97% White. The EAT scale best reflected EPSI domains of binge eating, body dissatisfaction, purging, negative attitudes toward obesity, and restricting. Furthermore, the EAT scale uniquely predicted multiple EPSI scale scores above and beyond other conceptually relevant MMPI-3 scales. Analyses based on gender revealed notable group differences and changes in the strength of associations for EAT and specific EPSI domain scores. Our findings provide support for the incremental and convergent validity of the EAT scale with implications for the increasing use of the MMPI-3 in the U.S. Veterans Affairs health care systems. Overall, EAT appears to effectively identify problematic eating behaviors associated with the item content of the scale (binging, restricting, purging). However, identification of less stereotypic clinically relevant behaviors related to eating or body image (e.g., excessive exercise) may require additional targeted assessment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Forensic Assessment of Psychological Injury Claims

  2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• What Does the PCL-5 Measure? A Conjoint Hierarchical Analysis Using the MMPI-3

  Journal of Personality Assessment · 2025-12-03 · 1 citations

  article

  = 386), we subjected the PCL-5 items and MMPI-3 scales to a series of conjoint exploratory factor analyses. In this sample, PCL-5 items could be largely explained by three correlated but relatively distinctive factors (affect/cognitions, traumatic intrusion/avoidance, and hyperarousal). Conjoint analysis with the MMPI-3 showed that the PCL-5 affective/cognitive items were differentially saturated with a nonspecific demoralization/distress factor. The PCL-5 hyperarousal factor cross-loaded primarily with MMPI-3 somatic and cognitive scales. The PCL-5 intrusions/avoidance factor cross-loaded minimally with any MMPI-3 scales, identifying that factor's content as relatively distinctive among the present indicators. We contextualize these findings within recent research and clinical trends that reconsider PTSD through a multidimensional lens. We also discuss clinical implications of these findings; in particular, examining individual PCL-5 symptom groupings may reveal insight into psychological and behavioral processes with greater specificity to posttraumatic symptomatology.

  PublisherDOI

• Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age at diagnosis

  Nature · 2025-10-01 · 24 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Although autism has historically been conceptualized as a condition that emerges in early childhood 1,2 , many autistic people are diagnosed later in life 3–5 . It is unknown whether earlier- and later-diagnosed autism have different developmental trajectories and genetic profiles. Using longitudinal data from four independent birth cohorts, we demonstrate that two different socioemotional and behavioural trajectories are associated with age at diagnosis. In independent cohorts of autistic individuals, common genetic variants account for approximately 11% of the variance in age at autism diagnosis, similar to the contribution of individual sociodemographic and clinical factors, which typically explain less than 15% of this variance. We further demonstrate that the polygenic architecture of autism can be broken down into two modestly genetically correlated ( r g = 0.38, s.e. = 0.07) autism polygenic factors. One of these factors is associated with earlier autism diagnosis and lower social and communication abilities in early childhood, but is only moderately genetically correlated with attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and mental-health conditions. Conversely, the second factor is associated with later autism diagnosis and increased socioemotional and behavioural difficulties in adolescence, and has moderate to high positive genetic correlations with ADHD and mental-health conditions. These findings indicate that earlier- and later-diagnosed autism have different developmental trajectories and genetic profiles. Our findings have important implications for how we conceptualize autism and provide a model to explain some of the diversity found in autism.

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• Systems biology dissection of PTSD and MDD across brain regions, cell types, and blood

  Science · 2024-05-23 · 81 citations

  articleOpen access

  The molecular pathology of stress-related disorders remains elusive. Our brain multiregion, multiomic study of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) included the central nucleus of the amygdala, hippocampal dentate gyrus, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Genes and exons within the mPFC carried most disease signals replicated across two independent cohorts. Pathways pointed to immune function, neuronal and synaptic regulation, and stress hormones. Multiomic factor and gene network analyses provided the underlying genomic structure. Single nucleus RNA sequencing in dorsolateral PFC revealed dysregulated (stress-related) signals in neuronal and non-neuronal cell types. Analyses of brain-blood intersections in >50,000 UK Biobank participants were conducted along with fine-mapping of the results of PTSD and MDD genome-wide association studies to distinguish risk from disease processes. Our data suggest shared and distinct molecular pathology in both disorders and propose potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers.

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• Genome-wide association analyses identify 95 risk loci and provide insights into the neurobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder

  Nature Genetics · 2024-04-18 · 168 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) genetics are characterized by lower discoverability than most other psychiatric disorders. The contribution to biological understanding from previous genetic studies has thus been limited. We performed a multi-ancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies across 1,222,882 individuals of European ancestry (137,136 cases) and 58,051 admixed individuals with African and Native American ancestry (13,624 cases). We identified 95 genome-wide significant loci (80 new). Convergent multi-omic approaches identified 43 potential causal genes, broadly classified as neurotransmitter and ion channel synaptic modulators (for example, GRIA1, GRM8 and CACNA1E), developmental, axon guidance and transcription factors (for example, FOXP2, EFNA5 and DCC), synaptic structure and function genes (for example, PCLO, NCAM1 and PDE4B) and endocrine or immune regulators (for example, ESR1, TRAF3 and TANK). Additional top genes influence stress, immune, fear and threat-related processes, previously hypothesized to underlie PTSD neurobiology. These findings strengthen our understanding of neurobiological systems relevant to PTSD pathophysiology, while also opening new areas for investigation.

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• John L. McNulty (1955–2023).

  American Psychologist · 2024-04-15

  article

  Dr. John L. McNulty, born on January 25, 1955, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, passed away on October 31, 2023, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 68 years. Ever the pragmatist and always bringing a critical mindset to test use, Dr. McNulty coauthored seminal articles demonstrating the absence of predictive bias among African Americans. His commitment to diversity more recently focused on contemporary assessment with transgender and gender-diverse individuals. While Dr. McNulty's empirical work advanced the field of personality and psychopathology, his relationships with colleagues and mentees are his most lasting legacy. Dr. McNulty inspired many while he was here, and his memory will inspire many into the future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

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• Early adversity and inflammation at midlife: the moderating role of internalizing psychopathology

  Psychological Medicine · 2024-12-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Childhood adversity has been associated with increased peripheral inflammation in adulthood. However, not all individuals who experience early adversity develop these inflammatory outcomes. Separately, there is also a link between various internalizing emotional distress conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety, and fear) and inflammation in adulthood. It is possible the combination of adult emotional distress and past childhood adversity may be uniquely important for explaining psychopathology-related immune dysfunction at midlife. METHODS: = 1255), we examined whether internalizing, defined as past 12-month emotional distress symptomatology and trait neuroticism, moderated associations between childhood adversity and heightened inflammation in adulthood. Using latent variable modeling, we examined whether transdiagnostic or disorder-specific features of emotional distress better predicted inflammation. RESULTS: We observed that childhood adversity only predicted adult inflammation when participants also reported adult internalizing emotional distress. Furthermore, this moderation effect was specific to the transdiagnostic factor of emotional distress rather than the disorder-specific features. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the possibility that adult internalizing symptoms and trait neuroticism together may signal the presence of temporally stable vulnerabilities that amplify the impact of childhood adversity on midlife immune alterations. The study highlights the importance of identifying emotional distress in individuals who have experienced childhood adversity to address long-term immune outcomes and enhance overall health.

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• Advancing Research on Mechanisms of Resilience (ARMOR) Prospective Longitudinal Study of Adaptation in Young Military Recruits: Protocol and rationale for methods and measures

  medRxiv · 2023-07-12

  preprintOpen access

  Background: Military service provides a unique opportunity for studying resilience, a dynamic process of successful adaptation (i.e., doing well in terms of functioning and symptoms) in response to significant adversity. Despite tremendous interest in positive adaptation among military service members, little is known about the processes underlying their resilience. Understanding neurobiological, cognitive, and social mechanisms underlying adaptive functioning following military stressor exposure is essential to enhance the resilience of military service members. Objectives: The primary objective of the Advancing Research on Mechanisms of Resilience (ARMOR) longitudinal study is to characterize trajectories of positive adaptation among young military recruits in response to Basic Combat Training (BCT), a well-defined, uniform, 10-week period of intense stress (Aim 1) and identify promotive and protective processes contributing to individual variations in resilience (Aim 2). The secondary objective is to investigate pathways by which neurobehavioral markers of self-regulation assessed by electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contribute to adaptive trajectories (Aim 3). Methods: ARMOR is an ongoing, prospective longitudinal cohort study of young military recruits who recently joined the National Guard but have not yet shipped for BCT. Participants (N=1,201) are assessed at five timepoints over the initial 2+ years of military service beginning before BCT (baseline) and followed up at 2 weeks, 6, 12, and 18 months post-BCT. At each time point, participants complete online questionnaires assessing vulnerability and protective factors, mental health and social-emotional functioning, and, at Time 0 only, a battery of neurocognitive tests. A subset of participants also complete structured diagnostic interviews, additional self-report measures, and perform neurobehavioral tasks before and after BCT during EEG sessions, and, at pre-BCT only, during MRI sessions. Results: Study enrollment began April 14, 2019 and ended in October 16, 2021. A total of 1,201 participants are enrolled in the study (68.9% male; mean age = 18.9, SD = 3.0). Follow-up data-collection is ongoing and projected to continue through March 2024. We will disseminate findings through conferences, webinars, open access publications, and communications with participants and stakeholders. Conclusions: Results are expected to elucidate how young military recruits adapt to military stressors during the initial years of military service. Understanding positive adaptation of military recruits in the face of BCT has implications for developing prevention and intervention strategies to enhance resilience of military trainees and potentially other young people facing significant life challenges.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Discovery of 95 PTSD loci provides insight into genetic architecture and neurobiology of trauma and stress-related disorders

  medRxiv · 2023-09-02 · 12 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) genetics are characterized by lower discoverability than most other psychiatric disorders. The contribution to biological understanding from previous genetic studies has thus been limited. We performed a multi-ancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies across 1,222,882 individuals of European ancestry (137,136 cases) and 58,051 admixed individuals with African and Native American ancestry (13,624 cases). We identified 95 genome-wide significant loci (80 novel). Convergent multi-omic approaches identified 43 potential causal genes, broadly classified as neurotransmitter and ion channel synaptic modulators (e.g., GRIA1, GRM8, CACNA1E ), developmental, axon guidance, and transcription factors (e.g., FOXP2, EFNA5, DCC ), synaptic structure and function genes (e.g., PCLO, NCAM1, PDE4B ), and endocrine or immune regulators (e.g., ESR1, TRAF3, TANK ). Additional top genes influence stress, immune, fear, and threat-related processes, previously hypothesized to underlie PTSD neurobiology. These findings strengthen our understanding of neurobiological systems relevant to PTSD pathophysiology, while also opening new areas for investigation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Melissa A. Polusny

  Minneapolis VA Health Care System

  180 shared

• Christopher R. Erbes

  University of Minnesota Medical Center

  152 shared

• Scott R. Sponheim

  University of Minnesota

  56 shared

• Paul Thuras

  University of Minnesota

  49 shared

• Mark D. Kramer

  40 shared

• Michele Spoont

  University of Minnesota

  38 shared

• Maureen Murdoch

  36 shared

• Siamak Noorbaloochi

  Minneapolis VA Health Care System

  34 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Psychology

  University of Minnesota

  1990