Defense mechanisms, well-being, and psychosocial functioning in the African context

Defense mechanisms are defined as automatic psychological processes that protect the individual from painful emotions and thoughts. These phenomena have been associated with a variety of outcomes, such as mental well-being and psychosocial functioning. Despite their pervasive role, defense mechanisms have primarily been investigated in the Western world, while their structure and role in the African context is unknown. In our study, we first translated the Defense Styles Questionnaire-40 (DSQ-40) in the Dyula language and, then, administered it as a structured interview to over 1000 adults (32% females; mean age=25±8 years) in Burkina Faso. Several results are worth mentioning, First, pilot data on 40 individuals confirmed that our translation was fully understandable. Second, PCA analysis revealed a three-style structure of the interview, consisting of (i) neurotic style, (ii) immature style, and (iii) mature style. Third, the immature style was associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as reduced psychosocial functioning. The neurotic and the mature styles were both associated with greater psychosocial functioning, while the former was also linked with more anxiety symptoms. Theoretical and clinical implications will be presented.