Defensive functioning in individuals with depressive disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Mental Health

Background:

• Limited generalizability of studies on defense mechanisms in depression.
• Need to compare defense mechanisms in depressive individuals versus non-clinical controls.
• Need to examine changes in defense mechanisms throughout psychological interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare defense mechanisms in individuals with depression versus non-clinical controls.
• To examine changes in defense mechanisms during psychological interventions.
• To address the limited generalizability of existing research on defense mechanisms in depression.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
• Searched PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO for relevant studies.
• Conducted random-effect meta-analyses on mature, non-mature, and overall defensive functioning (ODF).

Main Results:

• Depressive patients used significantly more non-mature defenses (SMD = 0.74).
• No significant difference in mature defenses between groups (SMD = 0.33).
• Overall defensive functioning (ODF) significantly increased during psychological interventions (SMD = 0.55).

Conclusions:

• Individuals with depression exhibit high use of non-mature defenses.
• Non-mature defenses may be viable targets for psychological interventions.
• Interventions show promise in improving overall defensive functioning, especially in younger populations.