title: Adolescent Defense Style as Correlate of Problem Behavior.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Adolescent problem behaviors are often the visible results of intrapsychic distress. Defensive reactions are the unconscious means of managing intrapsychic distress. This cross-sectional study examines the strength of defensive style as measured by self-report on the Response Evaluation Measure (REM-71) relative to age, sex, and SES, as a correlate of internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, as assessed by the Youth Self Report (YSR).
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 1,487 students from two suburban high schools completed self-report measures of defense style, self-esteem, and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. Demographic variables (age, sex, and SES) were included as covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mature and immature defense style correlated as expected with problem behaviors. Demographic variables contributed minimally to the variance in the outcome variable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Defense style, as assessed by the REM-71, is a significant correlate of clinically elevated internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors in youth as in adults. This study adds to the convergent validity of the REM-71.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huemer
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA, USA.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prunas
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford CA, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA, USA.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steiner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Abwehrmechanismen; Adoleszenz; adolescence; defense reactions; internalisierendes und externalisierendes Problemverhalten; internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors