Biomaterial Database

Adolescent suicide and defensive style. 1992

C J Recklitis, and G G Noam, and S R Borst

Hall-Mercer Laboratory of Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, Harvard Medical School.

This empirical study investigated the relation between ego defense mechanisms, diagnoses, and suicidality among 200 adolescent psychiatric patients ages 12 to 16 years. Based on a structured diagnostic interview, adolescents were divided into three groups: suicide attempters, suicidal ideators, and nonsuicidal patients. Using the Defense Mechanisms Inventory (DMI), suicidal adolescents scored higher on the defense of turning-against-self and lower on reversal, as compared to nonsuicidal adolescents. Although suicide was significantly more common among adolescents with an affective disorder, turning-against-self remained significantly associated with suicide attempt even when diagnosis was controlled for. Results demonstrate the importance of defense mechanisms in understanding adolescent suicidal behavior.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D003674	Defense Mechanisms	Unconscious process used by an individual or a group of individuals in order to cope with impulses, feelings or ideas which are not acceptable at their conscious level; various types include reaction formation, projection and self reversal.	Mechanisms, Defense
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000294	Adolescent Behavior	Any observable response or action of an adolescent.	Behavior, Adolescent,Adolescent Behaviors,Behaviors, Adolescent
D000297	Psychology, Adolescent	Field of psychology involving the study of normal and abnormal behavior of adolescents. It includes mental processes as well as observable responses.	Adolescent Psychology
D012737	Sex Factors	Maleness or femaleness as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from SEX CHARACTERISTICS, anatomical or physiological manifestations of sex, and from SEX DISTRIBUTION, the number of males and females in given circumstances.	Factor, Sex,Factors, Sex,Sex Factor
D013405	Suicide	The act of killing oneself.	Suicides
D019964	Mood Disorders	Those disorders that have a disturbance in mood as their predominant feature.	Affective Disorders,Affective Disorder,Disorder, Affective,Disorder, Mood,Disorders, Affective,Disorders, Mood,Mood Disorder