title: Adolescent suicide and defensive style.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Hall-Mercer Laboratory of Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, Harvard Medical School.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Recklitis
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Noam
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Borst
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data