Article Defense Mechanisms Reported by Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder and Axis II Comparison Subjects Over 16 Years of Prospective Follow-Up: Description and Prediction of Recovery

Objective: The authors assessed the de-fensive functioning of 290 patients with borderline personality disorder and com-pared it with that of 72 patients with other forms of axis II psychopathology over 16 years of prospective follow-up. They also assessed the relationship between time-varying defenses and recovery from bor-derline personality disorder. Method: TheDefense Style Questionnaire, a self-report measure with demonstrated criterion validity and internal consistency, was initially administered at study entry. It was readministered at eight contiguous 2-year follow-up periods