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Object relations in adolescence: A comparison of normal and inpatient adolescents
Author(s) -
Sekiya Hideko,
Sato Atsushi,
Sakai Yoshie,
Naka Yasushi,
Suzuki Keiko,
Kashima Haruo,
Mimura Masaru
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2012.02353.x
Subject(s) - thematic apperception test , correlation , significant difference , psychology , medicine , analysis of variance , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , geometry , mathematics
Aims: We aimed to study the development of object relations in adolescents and their correlation with their mothers' defense styles in inpatient and normal adolescents. Methods: We administered the Thematic Apperception Test to adolescents in the adolescent unit (junior high, n = 16; senior high, n = 22) and normal controls (junior high, n = 16; senior high, n = 16). Results were analyzed using the Complexity of Representations Scale (CRS). We administered the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ 40 ) to the subjects' mothers (patients, n = 38; controls, n = 32) to determine whether adolescents' CRS scores correlated with mothers' DSQ scores. Results: There was a nearly significant interaction for group‐by‐school‐year for the children's CRS scores. In the control group, senior high school students' scores (mean [SD] = 3.52 [0.49]) were significantly higher (F [1,66] = 12.3, P = 0.001) than those of junior high school students' (mean [SD] = 3.03 [0.31]). In the patient group, no significant difference was observed between senior high and junior high. For mothers' DSQ 40 , mature defense scores were significantly higher in the control group than in the patient group (mean [SD] = 10.8 [1.89] vs 9.35 [1.40] in junior high, and 11.8 [1.67] vs 9.36 [1.81] in senior high, F [1,66] = 22.1, P < 0.001, two‐way anova ). A significant, positive correlation (r = 0.37, P = 0.04) was observed between the mothers' mature defense and the children's CRS scores in the control group only. Conclusions: Whatever diagnoses are provided, the problems of adolescents with non‐psychotic pathologies are related to the arrest of object relations development. A patient's mother cannot employ mature mechanisms to alleviate signals of anxiety sent by her child.