title: Defensive functioning and psychopathology: a study with the REM-71.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study is to explore the association between defensive functioning (as assessed through the REM-71) and psychiatric symptoms in a large sample from the community, and the moderating role of age and gender on that association. Furthermore, we explored the concurrent validity of REM-71 as compared with "caseness" (SCL-90-R).
  
  
  METHODS
  The REM-71 was administered together with SCL-90-R to a community sample of 1,060 Italian high-school and university students (mean age=19.01±3.85 years; 66.7% females).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Factor 1 defenses were by far the primary contributors to the predictor synthetic variable (i.e. association between defenses and psychopathology). Gender proved to moderate the association between immature defenses and symptoms. Using ROC analysis, we derived a cut-off score for Factor 1 defenses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results support the adoption of the REM-71 as a useful instrument for the assessment of defensive array and psychopathological liability in adolescents and adults.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: antonio.prunas@unimib.it.
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Prunas
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126, Milan, Italy.
authors: Emanuele
authors: E
authors: Preti
authors: Medical University of Vienna, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Huemer
authors: Division of Child Psychiatry and Child Development, Stanford University School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA94305-5719.
authors: Richard J
authors: RJ
authors: Shaw
authors: Division of Child Psychiatry and Child Development, Stanford University School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA94305-5719.
authors: Hans
authors: H
authors: Steiner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012372:ROC Curve; D012737:Sex Factors; D063189:Symptom Assessment; D055815:Young Adult