Psychometric Evaluation of a Shortened Version of the 40-item Defense Style Questionnaire

The 40-item version of the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) is a widely used selfreport measure of defense mechanisms. A previous study, however, has suggested that 12 items out of 40 are lacking in face validity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the DSQ-40, deleting the items with insufficient face validity (DSQ-28), in a non-clinical sample of university students. Exploratory factor analysis extracted a five-factor structure. The pattern of relationships for the five factors along with coping strategies assessed by the Ways of Coping Checklist, short version (WCCL), general psychopathological symptoms, evaluated by the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90 R), and personality disorder symptoms, explored through the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire, Fourth Edition (PDQ-4), suggests that this 28 itemversion of the DSQ may have better discriminant and criterion validity than the DSQ-40.