Mediating effects of defense styles on the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and mental health in patients with depression / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the relationship between early maladaptive schemas, defense styles and mental health in patients with depression, and to investigate the mediating effects of defense styles between early maladaptive schemas and mental health.Methods:A total of 87 outpatients with depression were assessed with the Young schema questionnaire-short form 2(YSQ-SF2), defense style questionnaire(DSQ), symptom checklist-90(SCL-90) and Beck depression inventory(BDI). SPSS Process program and Bootstrap method were used to explore the mediating effect of defense styles.Results:The scores of abandonment/instability were higher in females than those in males (2(0.5, 4), 0(0, 1.25), Z=-2.963, P=0.003) while the score of emotional inhibition was higher in males than in females (1(0, 3), 0(0, 2), Z=-2.318, P=0.02). The total score of SCL-90 was positively predicted by vulnerability to harm or illness and emotional deprivation, with an explanatory variation rate of 27.7%.The number of SCL-90 positive items was positively predicted by social isolation/alienation and abandonment/instability, with an explanatory variation rate of 19.3%.Immature defense styles fully mediate the relationship between social isolation/alienation and mental health, as well as between abandonment/instability and mental health. Conclusion:Social isolation/alienation and abandonment/instability affect the mental health of patients with depression by the mediating effect of immature defense styles.