scholarly journals Personality and Lockdown: A Study on Italian Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Biondi ◽  
Simona Casale ◽  
Jessica Burrai ◽  
Cristina Mazza ◽  
Gabriele Cavaggioni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Defense Style Questionnaire ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Young Subjects ◽  
The Government

The current study aimed at increasing our understanding of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on undergraduate students, particularly with respect to the association between personality traits; defense mechanisms (DMs); depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (DASSs); and compliance with the government recommended health measures. A sample of 1,427 Italian undergraduate students were administered the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5—Brief Form; the Defense Style Questionnaire-40; and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. Compliance with the COVID-19 behavioral recommendations was measured through a 10-item survey measure. Results showed that immature DMs and internalizing personality traits (i.e., detachment, negative affect, psychoticism) were risk factors of DASSs. Furthermore, subjects with higher levels of DASSs appeared less compliant with the health measures recommended by the Italian government. Experts may use these results to identify and subsequently support (via the Internet) young subjects at greater risk of mental health problems as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Relationship between defense mechanisms and psychopathic traits in an Internet sample

2021 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-282
Author(s):  
Sandra Weber ◽  
William H. Gottdiener ◽  
Cordelia Chou
Keyword(s):  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Psychopathic Traits ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Psychopathic Personality ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Personality Profile ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Defense Style Questionnaire ◽  
Internet Sample

The authors compared the defense mechanisms used by a community sample of people with and without self-reported psychopathic traits. Defense mechanisms were assessed using the Defense Style Questionnaire-60 and psychopathy was assessed using the Levinson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale in a sample of 225 adults recruited on the Internet. Results found that people with self-reported psychopathy traits used significantly more immature and neurotic defense mechanisms than people without a psychopathic personality profile. All participants reported equal use of mature defenses.

scholarly journals Psychological Distress after a Diagnosis of Malignant Mesothelioma in a Group of Patients and Caregivers at the National Priority Contaminated Site of Casale Monferrato

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michela Bonafede ◽  
Antonella Granieri ◽  
Alessandra Binazzi ◽  
Carolina Mensi ◽  
Federica Grosso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malignant Mesothelioma ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Contaminated Site ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Defense Style Questionnaire ◽  
National Priority ◽  
Adaptive Processes

Background: Patients of malignant mesothelioma (MM) and their caregivers face significant physical and psychological challenges. The purpose of the present study is to examine the emotional impact after the diagnosis of MM in a group of patients and familial caregivers in a National Priority Contaminated Site (NPCS). Methods: A sample of 108 patients and 94 caregivers received a sociodemographic/clinical questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory II, the Davidson Trauma Scale, the Coping Orientation to the Problems Experienced—New Italian Version, and the Defense style questionnaire. The risk of depressive and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in relation to the strategies of coping and defense mechanisms was estimated in patients and caregivers separately by logistic regression models. Results: For patients, a high risk of depression was associated with high usage of Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) Isolation (OR: 53.33; 95% CI: 3.22–882.30; p = 0.01) and DSQ Somatization (OR: 16.97; 95% CI: 1.04–275.90; p = 0.05). Other significant risks emerged for some coping strategies and some defenses regarding both depression and trauma in patients and caregivers. Conclusions: This research suggests that for both patients and caregivers unconscious adaptive processes have a central role in dealing with overwhelming feelings related to the disease.

Women Addiction (Alcohol and Opiates) and Defense Mechanism Style

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Raketic ◽  
M. Kovacevic ◽  
T. Djuric
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Diagnosis ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Defense Style Questionnaire ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Opiate Addicts

Very few researches concerning women addictions are done up to day. This paper tries to define basic similarities and differences in defense mechanisms used by women alcohol and opiate addicts.Method:Sample of alcohol and opiate female addicts (30 patients in each group) plus control group (30 women) with no psychiatric diagnosis were questioned with Defense Style Questionnaire - DSQ 40 (Andrews, Singh, Bond, 1993).Results:There were found no statistically relevant differences between two experimental and one control group concerning mature defense mechanism use. Significant differences were found in neurotic and immature defense mechanism use: alcohol addicts use prevalently neurotic mechanisms and immature mechanisms prevail among opiate addicts.Conclusions:In our research mostly used neurotic defense mechanisms by alcohol addicts were: pseudoaltruism, idealization, and undoing. The mostly used immature defense mechanisms among opiate addicts were: phantasy, isolation, devaluation, denial and splitting.

Social Desirability, Defense Styles, and the Children's Role Inventory Scale

2003 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 842-846
Author(s):  
Daniel Lee Randolph ◽  
Christopher E. Anderson ◽  
Penni L. Smith ◽  
Molly A. Shipley-Clark
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Desirability ◽  
Bonferroni Correction ◽  
Social Desirability Scale ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Defense Styles ◽  
Defense Style Questionnaire ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Southern University

This investigation was designed to answer several research questions. First, using each participant's dominant score to place that individual into one of the four Children's Role Inventory categories, what would be the distribution of college students across the categories? Second, is there a relationship between scores on scales of the Children's Role Inventory and (a) on the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale and (b) on scales of the Defense Style Questionnaire? 236 undergraduate students at a southern university completed the above questionnaires. The distribution of participants over Children's Role Inventory categories was Hero 179, Mascot 41, Scapegoat 1, Lost Child 9, and Not Classified 6. After Bonferroni correction, significant positive but small correlations were reported between the Hero Scale of the Children's Role Inventory and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, as well as between the Hero Scale of the Children's Role Inventory and the Adaptive Scale of the Defense Style Questionnaire.

scholarly journals A Comparison between Personality Traits and Defense Styles in Teenagers with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and Normal Individuals

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Narges Zamani ◽  
Mojtaba Habibi ◽  
Nasrin Zamani ◽  
Nina Jamshidnejad ◽  
Mani B. Monajemi
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Control Group ◽  
School Students ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Defense Styles ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Significant Difference

Objective: The current study aims to compare the defense mechanisms and personality traits among teenagers with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and normal individuals. Materials and Methods: Incurrent casual-comparative study, 220 teenagers with an average age of 16.74±6.08 and age range of 13-17 were randomly selected from among high school students, who were diagnosed with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder in fall 2014 and 220 other peers with matching demographic characteristics were selected as the control group. Both groups were asked to fill Eysenckpersonality questionnaire and Andrews’ Defense Style Questionnaire. Data was analyzed via multivariate analysis of variance. Results: The average scores of teenagers with ARFID was higher than the control group regarding immature and neurotic defense style, neuroticism and extraversion; with respect to mature defense style variable average scores of teenagers with ARFID was lower comparing to control group. Thus, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between personality traits and defence styles of teenagers with ARFID and normal teenagers.

scholarly journals Η προσκόλληση και οι μηχανισμοί άμυνας σε άτομα διεγνωσμένα με οριακή διαταραχή προσωπικότητας

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Αντώνιος Καλαματιανός ◽  
Λίσσυ Κανελλοπούλου
Keyword(s):  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Defense Style Questionnaire ◽  
The Past ◽  
Outpatient Departments ◽  
Attachment Model

The interest with regard to the Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has increased in the past few years, because the number of people with the aforementioned diagnosis who use mental health services has risen. The study aimed at examining the defense mechanisms in people with BPD diagnosis in relation to the attachment type they adopt. Thesample consisted of 36 adult subjects diagnosed with BPD who attended psychiatric outpatient departments and 36 people who attended the ophthalmologic outpatient care at a general hospital. The adult attachment questionnaire CA-MIR and the Defense Style Questionnaire-40 were administered to the participants. In general, results are in accordance with the theoretical background, because it was demonstrated that diagnosed subjects scored higher in the insecure attachment types, that is, the ambivalent, the detached and the non-resolved, whereas the non-diagnosed scored higher in the autonomous attachment. Moreover, diagnosed subjects used more than the non-diagnosed participants the neurotic and the immature defenses,but they did not differ with respect to mature defenses. Finally, correlations between attachment and defenses were found with the exception of the mature that correlated with no attachment model. These findings may contribute to the identification of factors that participate in BPD and in the configuration of more efficient therapeutic interventions.

scholarly journals Can the factor structure of Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) contribute to our understanding of parental acceptance/rejection, bullying, victimization and perceived well-being in Greek early adolescents?

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodoros Giovazolias ◽  
Evangelia Karagiannopoulou ◽  
Effrosyni Mitsopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Parental Acceptance ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
School Students ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Defense Style Questionnaire ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity

Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) is a self-report instrument designed to measure defense mechanisms. Although commonly used, the DSQ-40 has not been validated in early adolescent populations. The present study sought to determine the factor validity of the DSQ-40 in a sample of Greek primary school students (N = 265). Further, it aimed to investigate the relationship between defense mechanisms and perceived parental acceptance/rejection, the participation in bullying (either as bully or victim) as well as self-reported well being. Participants completed the Greek version of DSQ-40, adapted for use by this particular age group as well as measures in order to examine its convergent and discriminant validity. The findings support a four-factor solution as the most adequate for our data. Further, it was found that defense mechanisms are related to perceived parental acceptance and rejection. Finally, the results showed that the DSQ-40 can effectively discriminate participants with high/low bullying/victimization and perceived well-being. Our results indicate that the DSQ-40 is appropriate for use in late childhood. Implications for clinical practice and future studies that would confirm the appropriateness of the scale’s use in younger populations are also discussed.

Authoritarianism and Projection

1995 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 362-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Alan Lewis ◽  
John Maltby
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Defense Style Questionnaire ◽  
Attitude Inventory

To extend the 1995 work of McCollaum and Lester, 378 undergraduate students were administered the conservatism scale of the Wilson-Patterson Attitude Inventory and the projection scale of the Defense Style Questionnaire-40. No significant association was found between scores on conservatism and projection.

scholarly journals The Role of Interpersonal Problem Solving in Using the Immature Defense Mechanisms in Adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Ahmet Bedel
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Defense Style Questionnaire ◽  
Interpersonal Problem ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Interpersonal Problem Solving

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between interpersonal problem solving and immature defense mechanisms in addition to whether interpersonal problem solving are predictors of immature defense mechanisms. The participants of the study consists of 428 high schools students (184 of the students were females). Interpersonal Problem Solving Inventory and Defense Style Questionnaire were applied. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that all variables of interpersonal problem solving skills together accounted for 32% of the variance in defense mechanisms. Specifically, significant predictors of immature defense mechanisms levels were lack of self-confidence, negative approach to the problems, constructive problem solving respectively. Generally, the levels of adolescents resort to immature defense mechanisms, lack of self-confidence and negative approach to the problem of the increase, a decrease in constructive problem-solving skills are seen to be effective. The results of the study was discussd within the results of the previous studies.

scholarly journals Personality, Defense Mechanisms and Psychological Distress in Women with Fibromyalgia

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Annunziata Romeo ◽  
Agata Benfante ◽  
Giuliano Carlo Geminiani ◽  
Lorys Castelli
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Harm Avoidance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Defense Style ◽  
Defense Styles ◽  
Character Inventory ◽  
Psychopathological Disorders

Background: Previous studies have shown that many personality traits are associated with fibromyalgia (FM), worsening both the quality of life and psychological distress of patients. Despite the high comorbidity of psychopathological disorders in this syndrome and their association with immature defense styles, few studies have examined the defense mechanisms used by FM patients. The main aim of our study was to investigate personality traits and defense mechanisms in FM patients compared to in a healthy control group (HC). Moreover, we investigated the effect of personality traits and defense mechanisms on psychological distress in both FM and HC groups. Methods: A total of 54 women with FM and 54 healthy women completed the (1) Temperament and Character Inventory—Revised; (2) the Toronto Alexithymia Scale; (3) the Defense Style Questionnaire; and (4) the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: The results indicated that FM patients display higher alexithymia, higher harm avoidance, lower self-directedness, lower persistence, and the higher use of a maladaptive defense style compared to HC. We found that alexithymia, harm avoidance, and maladaptive defense style are significant predictors of patients’ psychological distress. Moreover, harm avoidance and adaptive defense style significantly predicted psychological distress in the HC group. Conclusion: The present study is the first to explore the contribution of both defense mechanisms and personality characteristics on the psychological distress of FM patients. Our findings have important clinical implications and may help diagnose and treat FM patients more in depth.

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