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Journal of Personality Disorders. 13(31,281-286. 1999
1999 The Guilford Press
PREDICTING PERSONALITY DISORDER TRAITS
WITH THE DEFENSE STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE IN
A NORMAL SAMPLE
Birendra K. Sinha, PhD, and David C. Watson, PhD
This research examined the efficacy of the 40-item Defense
Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40), measuring mature, neurotic and
immature defense styles, to predict DSM-III-R personality disor
ders. The Coolidge Axis II Inventory, the Millon Clinical
Multiaxial Inventory-II, and the MMPI personality disorder
scales were used to measure 1 1 personality disorders in a
nonclinical sample. The results show that most personality dis
orders are positively associated with the highly maladaptive im
mature defense style, and negatively associated with the
mature defense style. Multiple regression analyses reveal that
the combined variance accounted for by the defense styles range from 12% to 42% on the CATI, 3% to 42% on the
MCMI-II, and 2% to 32% on the MMPI-PD. However, specific personality disorders cannot be predicted with the defense
styles on any measure.
Research on personality disorder demonstrates a generally consistent pat
tern of relationship with defense styles. Vaillant and Drake (1985) reported
that immature defense mechanisms, such as projection, schizoid fantasy,
and dissociation were typically used by adults with a diagnosis of personal ity disorder (PD). Comparison of the defense styles of normal controls with
neurotic and personality disordered patients revealed that maturity of de
fense style varied with severity of mental disorder (Sammallahti, Aalberg, 6k
Pentinsaari, 1994). The usefulness of defense style in predicting personality
disorder symptom levels in a normal sample of college students was also
demonstrated by Johnson, Bornstein, and Krukonis (1992). They found
that maladaptive and image-distorting defense styles were positively associ
ated with most disorders.
This study examined the predictive value of defense styles in respect to the
1 1 personality disorders specified in DSM-III-R and DSM-IV. Multiple re
gression analyses were performed to ascertain the nature and strength of re-
From the Department of Psychology (B. K. S., D. C. W.) and Psychiatry (B. K. S.). University of
Alberta. Canada.
Address correspondence to Birendra K. Sinha, Department of Psychology, University of Al
berta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E9.
281
282 SINHA AND WATSON
lationships among defense styles and specific disorders. The present
research differs from other similar studies in that...