Study of Defense Mechanisms in Kidney Transplanted Subjects

Defenses mechanisms are defined as the tools an individual uses to manage instincts, drives, and affects. Transplantation is a stressful event that requires the body to mobilize its internal and external defenses and implement coping and adaptation strategies, which can be essential for overcoming the painful and potentially dangerous environmental, existential, and relational situations that may occur after transplantation. The aim of our study was to analyze the defense styles in 50 kidney transplanted subjects and to correlate the latter with any psychopathology and the quality of life subjectively perceived. The Defense Style Questionnaire was administered to evaluate the defense mechanisms. The Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) was used for the evaluation of any psychopathology. Quality of life was studied using the Complete Form Health Survey (SF-36). The “somatization” (SOM) and “anxiety” (ANX) dimensions of the SCL-90 R correlated significantly with the “reaction formation” (RF) neurotic defense (RF/SOM r = .893; RF/ANX r = .966; P < .05). A good perception of one's “general health” (GH) correlated significantly with the “humor” (HU) and “sublimation” (SU) mature defenses (HU/GH r = .681; SU/GH r = .524; P < .05). Kidney transplanted subjects are exposed to persistent physical and psychosocial stress and each transplanted subject uses their own defense mechanisms to contain the mental pain and reduce the emotional stress derived from the transplantation experience. Identifying the different kinds of defenses (mature, immature, or neurotic) can be an effective way to search for predictive indices of a good quality of life and adherence to treatments.