Nous proposons de mettre à l’épreuve des faits le modèle théorique de Chabrol et Callahan proposant une organisation fonctionnelle des mécanismes de défense psychique et les stratégies de coping articulée autour d’une influence des défenses sur les coping.

Quatre-vingt-quatorze jeunes adultes, étudiants, ont complété la Coping Inventory for Stressfull Situations (CISS), le Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) et la Perceived Stress Scale (PSS14). Les données ont été traitées suivant les méthodes d’analyse en pistes causales.

Les résultats plaident en faveur du modèle intégratif de la défense et du coping de Chabrol et Callahan. Ils mettent en évidence des relations entre les défenses et les coping médiatisées par la détresse perçue et contrôlabilité perçue. Les processus d’influence des défenses sur les coping ne sont pas similaires selon que l’on considère les coping centrés sur le problème ou les coping émotionnels.

Il apparaît désormais clairement pertinent pour le thérapeute de travailler conjointement sur les mécanismes de défense et les stratégies de coping sans assimiler ces deux catégories de processus. Tel travail implique de pouvoir les repérer dans leurs spécificités respectives. Une des cibles thérapeutiques déterminante consistera à comprendre le rôle que jouent les défenses sur les processus de construction du sens du réel pour les sujets afin d’optimiser leurs réactions adaptatives, essentielles dans la gestion du stress.

In the psychological literature, two concepts are often used to approach psychological and social adaptation: defense mechanisms and coping strategies. Many empirical studies deal with these strategies independently of each other. However, the nature of their relationship is still debated, making empirical studies necessary jointly evaluating these two types of strategies to better reflect the adaptive process.

To test Chabrol and Callahan's theoretical model of the relationship between defence mechanisms and coping strategies. According to theses authors, defence mechanisms and coping strategies are distinct mechanisms, functionally organized: defenses appear first and modulate the emergence of coping strategy defenses through threat representation.

Ninety-four young adult volunteers completed the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS14). The data were treated according to the structural equation modeling method.

Overall, the results support the theoretical model proposed by Chabrol and Callahan. The statistical model provides a good fit to the data (chi²/df=18.62/22=.85, P=.67, RMSEA=.00 (90% CI: .00–.07), CFI=1, TLI=1.04). It explains from 7 to 24% of coping variability scores (Avoidant Coping: R²=.07, P<.01; emotional coping and problem-focused coping: R²=24, P<.01). Results also show that the relationships between defence mechanisms and copings strategies are mediated by perceived distress and perceived controllability. Defence impact on coping strategies is not the same whether one considers problem-focused coping or emotional and avoidant coping. Immature and mature defences’ impact on problem-focused coping is underpinned by a simple mediation: perceived controllability. Defences’ impact on emotional coping and avoidant coping is more complex and underpinned by a double mediation: first by the perceived controllability and then, in a second time, the perceived distress. Finally, the results show the existence of a feedback loop from emotional copings to immature defences.

It is now clearly relevant for the therapist to simultaneously work on defence mechanisms and coping strategies without assimilating these two categories of processes. Such work involves being able to identify them in their specificities. One of the crucial therapeutic targets is to understand the role of defences on the mental construction of reality in order to maximize adaptive reactions, critical in stress management.