ABSTRACT

Objective. The study aims to identify the relationship between some psychological defense mechanisms considered specific to depressive disorders and dysfunctional attitudes in non-psychotic major depressive disorder. Method. The clinical sample used includes 103 adult patients diagnosed with non-psychotic major depressive disorder (N = 103) hospitalized in the Psychiatry Clinics Timișoara and other psychiatric clinics in western Romania and the private practice medical offices of psychotherapy and psychiatry in Timișoara. In line with the objective of the study, the following tools were used: Defense Style Questionnaire – 60/DSQ 60 (Romanian version [Crașovan & Maricuțoiu, 2012]), Beck Questionnaire (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979; Beck, Ward,& Mendelson, 1981), Zung Questionnaire (Biggs, Wylie, & Ziegler, 1978; Zung, 1965) and Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, Vesions A (Weissman & Beck, 1978, as cited in David, 2006b). The results show the existence of positive correlations: in the male clinical group between denial and dysfunctional attitudes; in the female clinical group between self-devaluation and dysfunctional attitudes; for the entire clinical group between withdrawal and dysfunctional attitudes, and for the clinical group of men between repression and dysfunctional attitudes. In the case of non-psychotic major depressive disorder, positive correlations were found between some psychological defense mechanisms operationalized by DSQ 60 and dysfunctional attitudes which contribute to ongoing depression.

KEYWORDS: mental disorders, depression, non-psychotic major depressive disorder, psychological defense mechanisms, dysfunctional attitudes.

PAGES: 39-53