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Happiness and Defense Styles in Psychiatrists
Leonardo Machado1, Hermano Tavares, Kátia Petribú
1*Postgraduate Program in Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco; †Institute of Psychiatry, Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (IPq-HCFMUSP), São Paulo, São Paulo; and ‡Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Pernambuco (UPE), Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to measure happiness in a sample of Brazilian psychiatrists and correlate it with the defense styles used by them and sociodemographic data. This study was observational, cross-sectional, and analytical. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires by Brazilian psychiatrists who participated in the XXXII Brazilian Congress of Psychiatry, 2014. In this sample of psychiatrists, happiness levels were high (scoring 5.69 of a total of 7), and mature defense styles prevailed, especially humor and anticipation. In a multivariate analysis, having children, good sleep quality, increased sexual interest, and use of defense styles such as humor, anticipation, and idealization all showed a positive relationship with happiness; on the other hand, using defense style such as acting out or annulment demonstrated a negative relationship with happiness. Despite the well-known professional burden that they bear, Brazilian psychiatrists surveyed presented, in general, high levels of subjective well-being and happiness.
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