title: The relationship between affective temperaments, defensive styles and depressive symptoms in a large sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Affective temperaments may represent heritable subclinical manifestations of mood disorders. The concept of ego defense mechanisms also has provided a model for the comprehension of mood psychopathology. The relationships between affective temperaments, defense styles and depressive symptoms remain unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We obtained data from a subsample of the Brazilian Internet Study on Temperament and Psychopathology (BRAINSTEP). Socio-demographic information was collected and participants completed the Affective and Emotional Temperament Composite Scale (AFECTS), the defense style questionnaire (DSQ-40) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 9937 participants (4472 male; 45%), individuals with hyperthymic or euthymic temperaments were more likely to present a mature defense style, whereas an immature defensive style was predominantly observed in individuals with cyclothymic, volatile, depressive, dysphoric, euphoric and disinhibited temperaments. Higher immature and lower mature defense style scores were independently associated with depressive symptoms. Participants with either euthymic or hyperthymic temperaments were less likely to endorse depressive symptoms. Euthymic and hyperthymic temperaments moderated the correlations of mature/immature defenses with depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data was collected from a convenience web-based sample. The study was cross-sectional.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Affective temperaments are associated with distinct defense styles. These two personality theories provide distinct but interacting views for comprehension of depressive psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Ceará, Faculty of Medicine, Departament of Clinical Medicine, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. andrefc7@terra.com.br
authors.forename: André F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Thomas N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Hyphantis
authors.forename: Tauily C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Taunay
authors.forename: Danielle S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Macêdo
authors.forename: Georgios D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Floros
authors.forename: Gustavo L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Ottoni
authors.forename: Konstantinos N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Fountoulakis
authors.forename: Diogo R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament; D055815:Young Adult