Adaptation of the Defensive Style Questionnaire 60 (Dsq-60) within a Romanian Sample
Danut I. Crasovan, Laurenţiu P. Maricuțoiu · Cognitie, Creier, Comportament · 2012
ABSTRACTTheoretical perspectives on mechanisms of psychological have a long history. In the last two decades, researchers have developed several instruments for the assessment of these mechanisms. The present paper presents results of the adaptation of Defensive Style Questionnaire 60 (DSQ-60; Thygesen, Drapeau, Trijsburg, Lecours, & de Roten, 2008) to a Romanian sample (N = 1011). The original DSQ-60 assessed the 30 mechanisms described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2003/2000). Results of the confirmatory factor indicated that the original factor structure has acceptable fit on the Romanian sample. However, similar with previous researches on different cultures (e.g., Chinese, Dutch, Egyptian Arabic, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian; see Bond, 2000), the scales had very low internal consistency indicators (Cronbach's alpha). Therefore, alternate models for grouping the mechanisms into higher-order factors were investigated. Results of this indicate a tri-factor solution that has good fit and acceptable internal consistency indicators.KEYWORDS: styles, adaptation, DSQ-60, confirmatory factor analysisINTRODUCTIONThe concept of psychological is not new to psychology. Over the time, psychoanalytic (Freud, 2007), or neo-psychoanalytic (Freud, 2002) perspectives and recent approaches (APA, 2003/2000; Blackman, 2009; Ionescu, Jaquet, & Lhote, 2002) have suggested several taxonomies of mechanisms through which the human psyche can defend itself against real or imaginary threats. In a modern sense, mechanisms are considered to be ,,unconscious psychic processes, which aim to reduce or annul the unpleasant effects of real or imaginary dangers, by reshuffling the internal and/or external reality, whose manifestations and behaviors, ideas or affects can be conscious or (Ionescu, Jaquet, & Lhote, 2002, page 35). An alternative perspective defines the mechanisms as mental operations through which the components of unpleasant affects are removed from the consciousness (Blackman, 2009), and they can be defined as immature, retroactive, mostly unconscious and with a low or absent adaptive level.The of mechanisms in clinical practice was recognized through the inclusion of this concept in the IV-th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA, 2003/2000). Besides the description of each mechanism, DSM IV also contains a proper instrument of for the psychological - Defensive Functioning Scale (DFS). DSF assesses 27 out of the 30 mechanisms described in DSM-IV.The Defensive Style Questionnaire - 60 (DSQ-60, Thygesen, Drapeau, Trijsburg, Lecours and de Roten, 2008) is an instrument designed for the assessment of the mechanisms compatible with the mechanisms of psychological included in the DSM IV (APA, 2003/2000). Over time, DSQ has known several editions (with 40, 42, 81 or even 88 items), but DSQ-60 is the latest edition of this instrument. Some authors (Bond, 2004) consider that DSQ is the most used instrument for the of psychological mechanisms, and it is included in the American Psychiatric Association's Handbook of Psychiatric Measures (APA, 2000, as cited in Drapeau, Thompson, Petraglia, Thygesen and Lecours, 2011).The present study presents the process of adaptation for the Romanian population of the 60 items version of DSQ-60 (Thygesen et al., 2008), and analyses alternate scoring schemes for this questionnaire.Defense and coping mechanismsThe concept of analysis of psychological defense implies a series of disputes regarding two ways of intrapsychic defense, which are the psychological mechanisms and the coping mechanisms. Currently, there is an ongoing debate over the significance of these two perspectives, firstly due to the evolution of the psychological technique and secondly due to the usage of this technique in various Psychology related fields of study. …