Immature defense mechanisms mediate the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

This study aimed to analyze the patterns of life events (LEs) and defense mechanisms in outpatients with depression and investigate the mediating role of defense mechanisms in the association between LEs and depressive symptoms in a psychosomatic outpatient sample in China.

Materials and methods

All of 2,747 outpatients (aged 18-65) from psychosomatic department were investigated in this study. LEs, depressive symptoms, and defense mechanisms were assessed by the Life Events Scale (LES), Patient-Health-Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ), respectively.

Results

Based on the optimal cut-off point of PHQ-9, 1840 (67.0%) patients had a PHQ-9 score of 10 or higher (depression group), and 907 (33.0%) had a score below 10 (non-depress

SUBMITTER: Ma D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10808586 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature