[Defense mechanisms and perceived adverse effects in a population of 70 HIV infected adults].

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the relations between defense mechanisms and perceived adverse effects of ART in a population of 70 HIV positive patients.

DESIGN

The Bond Defense Style questionnaire was used to evaluate defense mechanisms. We used Justice's questionnaire to assess adverse effects and their psychological impact. We carried out multiple regression and mediation analyses to define the relations between the number of adverse effects, defensive styles, and the impact of adverse effects.

RESULTS

The global model accounts for nearly 40 % of the score variance. Mature and immature defense styles bring significant contribution to understanding the impact of adverse effects, even when their number is controlled.

CONCLUSION

Working on defense mechanisms should lower the psychological impact of adverse effects, therefore, improving the patient's quality of life and compliance.