Factor structure invariance of the Defense Style Questionnaire-60 in outpatients

This study examined the content validity and consumer satisfaction of a newly developed forensic Measurement invariance across important subgroups such as gender and language has not yet been corroborated for Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ). We examined the structure of the DSQ-60 (N= 509) using Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling with target rotation to the three factor-structure (Image distorting, Affect regulating and Adaptive style). We did find good fit to this 3-factor model for the data of the total group of outpatients. Next, we explored measurement invariance for both gender and language (French and Dutch). We did find configural invariance (i.e. pattern invariance) across gender and language. However, metric invariance (i.e. equal factor loadings) was not supported for gender and language. Moreover, the highest scale loadings were not always on the factor that would be expected based on three-factor solutions found earlier with different DSQ versions (i.e. an adaptive, image distorting style, and affect regulating style). We did find an adaptive and an image distorting factor. The third factor did not clearly represent the affect regulating style. We conclude that, although the widespread use of the DSQ, researchers must be careful in their use and interpretation of the DSQ-scales across important subgroups such as gender and language. Yet the DSQ is still a good screening measure for immature defenses and can give an indication of the presence of relatively more mature versus more immature defenses in an individual.