An empirical study of the DSM-IV Defensive Functioning Scale in personality disordered patients

The inclusion of the Defensive Functioning Scale (DFS) in the DSM-IV provides clinicians with the opportunity to incorporate psychodynamic information into their descriptive diagnoses. The DFS contains 27 specific defenses covering six levels of defensive functioning ranging from psychotic to normal. This study undertook an initial empirical evaluation of the DFS. A sample of 100 clinicians completed a questionnaire containing both the personality disorder (PD) symptoms and the DFS defenses of PD patients known to them, DFS ratings were not related to clinician orientation. Patient gender was related to only one defense level, with women being assigned significantly more action level defenses than men. Multiple regression analyses revealed unique and meaningful patterns of association between the defense levels and PD symptoms. Additionally, the DFS ratings provided unique information regarding level of impairment and treatment success. These results provide initial empirical support for the clinical application and relevance of the proposed DFS system.