Do spinal cord-injured individuals with stronger sense of coherence use different psychological defense styles?

Objectives: Although the importance of sense of coherence (SOC) and psychological defense mechanisms (PDMs) in the process of coping has been demonstrated, it has not yet been clarified whether individuals with stronger SOC use specific PDMs. Study design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Iran. Methods: Demographic and injury-related variables including injury level, time since injury, American Spinal Cord Association (ASIA) Scale and Spinal cord independence measure-III were collected among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). SOC was assessed by the Short-form Sense of Coherence Scale. PDMs were identified using 40-version of the Defense Style Questionnaire. Results: Neurotic defense style was the most commonly used style especially. The overall most commonly used PDM was ‘rationalization’, which was used by 95%. Individuals with stronger SOC used more mature style ( P =0.001, r =0.52), particularly ‘humor’ and ‘suppression’ mechanisms ( P