Defense styles, well‐being, and functional disability in the African context: A structured interview‐based study.

LINGUA francas; DEFENSE mechanisms (Psychology); PRINCIPAL components analysis; INTELLECTUAL disabilities; GENDER

Objective: We investigated the defense styles in the African context by exploring their internal structure in Burkinabé individuals. Moreover, we explored how defense styles were related to sociocultural variables. Finally, we tested whether defense styles could mediate the relationship between sociocultural variables and mental well‐being as well as functional disability. Method: The study recruited 998 individuals (66.9% male; age = 25.50 ± 7.8 years) living in Burkina Faso. Standard measures for defense mechanisms, mental well‐being, and functional disability were administered as a structured interview in the local vehicular language, that is, Dyula. Results: Principal component analysis identified three major defense styles—mature, neurotic, and immature. Gender, formal education, living area, and believing in traditional practices were associated with any of the three defense styles. Moreover, the immature style mediated the impact of sociocultural variables on specific outcomes, such as higher functional disability and lower mental well‐being. The neurotic style was associated with lower functional disability, while the mature style was not associated with any of the outcome variables. Conclusion: Our study provided preliminary support to the notion that defense styles may function similarly across cultures and they are likely reactive to the sociocultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Personality is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)