Gender differences in self-reported defense mechanisms: a study using the new Defense Style Questionnaire-60.

Studies have shown that men and women differ in their use of defense mechanisms (e.g. Cramer, 1991; Watson and Sinha, 1998). However, how and why this difference exists is still open to debate. The present study explores the relationship between gender and defenses using the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-60; Trijsburg Bond, & Drapeau, 2003). As expected, no significant differences were found in Overall Defensive Functioning (ODF); however, men and women differed in their choice of defense style, defense level, and individual defense mechanisms. Evidence is provided to support the notion that while overall adaptivity of defenses is comparable, men and women rely on different defensive organizations during conflict-laden situations. We discuss the clinical relevance of these results in light of previous findings.

Assessing Defense Styles: Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the New Defense Style Questionnaire 60 (DSQ-60)

The Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) has undergone numerous revisions in an effort to improve reliability and validity. More recently, another version, the DSQ-60, was designed to be congruent with the DSM-IV. The present study examined the underlying structure of the DSQ-60 using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic procedures. The scale was administered to a group of students attending an English-speaking university (n= 305) and a French-speaking university (n= 212). Three factors (image distorting, affect regulating, and adaptive) accounted for 47.93% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis corroborated a three factor model. A new factor reflecting defensive functioning in healthy individuals was found. Cronbach’s alpha for the three styles was .64, .72, and .61, respectively. Results are compared with prior research on the DSQ and suggest that the psychometric properties of the scale remain to be improved before broad use is warranted (AU)

El Cuestionario de Estilos de Defensa (DSQ) ha experimentado numerosas revisiones y esfuerzos para mejorar su fiabilidad y su validez Recientemente, se diseñó otra versión, el DSQ-60, para hacerlo congruente con el DSM-IV. El presente estudio examina la estructura subyacente del DSQ-60 mediante procedimientos de análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio. l cuestionario se administró a un grupo de estudiantes universitarios de lengua inglesa (n= 305) y a otro de lengua francesa (n= 212). Tres factores explicaron el 47,93% de varianza (distorsión de la imagen, regulación del afecto y adaptación), modelo de tres factores que fue corroborado por el análisis factorial confirmatorio, aunque se encontró un nuevo factor que refleja el funcionamiento defensivo en individuos sanos. El alfa de Cronbach para los tres estilos fue de .64, .72 y .61, respectivamente. Los resultados se comparan con la investigación previa sobre el DSQ y se sugiere que las propiedades psicométricas de laescala deben ser mejoradas antes de su uso a gran escala (AU)