Comparison of Defense Mechanisms in Women with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy versus Ordinary Counterparts

Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders, the contracting of which causes numerous physical, psychological and social consequences. However, there are a number of defense mechanisms humans possess, which are responsible for protecting an individual against the stress, anxieties and pressures of everyday life. Accordingly, the present study was undertaken with the aim of comparatively investigating the defense mechanisms in a group of woman with temporal lobe epilepsy against a non-clinical group of females.

The research design of the present study was based on a causal-comparative case study. The statistical population of the study consisted of all epileptic women and their normal counterparts who had referred to Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran during the first half of 2019. The sample population included 40 female patients already diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy by neurologists through electro-encephalography who were randomly selected and compared to their 40 normal counterparts. The two studied groups were similar in terms of age, education and marital status. Research data were gathered using the Andrews Defense Mechanism Questionnaire (DSQ40) and analyzed by the SPSS24 software program employing multivariate statistical analysis of variance.

There was a significant difference (p <0.05) between the defense mechanism used in epileptic women and that of healthy women.

It can be concluded that women with epilepsy have different defense mechanisms and are more likely to use immature mechanisms and neurotic defense mechanisms (only in terms of False Altruism ) when compared to normal women