Adolescent Defense Style as Correlate of Problem Behavior

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Adolescent Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Adolescent problem behaviors often stem from underlying intrapsychic distress.
• Defensive reactions are unconscious strategies used to manage this distress.
• Understanding defense styles is crucial for addressing behavioral issues in youth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between defense style and problem behaviors in adolescents.
• To assess the strength of defense style as a correlate of internalizing and externalizing behaviors.
• To evaluate the Response Evaluation Measure-71 (REM-71) in a youth population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 1,487 high school students.
• Self-report measures including the Response Evaluation Measure-71 (REM-71) for defense style and the Youth Self Report (YSR) for problem behaviors.
• Demographic variables (age, sex, socioeconomic status) were included as covariates.

Main Results:

• A significant correlation was found between mature and immature defense styles and problem behaviors.
• Demographic variables had a minimal impact on the variance of problem behaviors.
• The findings align with previous research on defense mechanisms and psychological distress.

Conclusions:

• Defense style, measured by the REM-71, is a significant correlate of clinically significant internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors in adolescents.
• The REM-71 demonstrates convergent validity in assessing defense styles related to problem behaviors in youth.
• These findings support the importance of considering defense mechanisms in the assessment and treatment of adolescent behavioral issues.