Examining the mediating role of psychological resilience in the relationship between defense mechanisms and happiness using structural equation modeling

Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is a multivariate statistical method that allows researchers to perform multiple analyses simultaneously. It includes both observed variables and latent variables in complex research models with multiple dependent and independent variables. The aim of this study is to examine the mediating role of psychological resilience in the relationship between adolescents' defense mechanisms and their level of happiness using SEM. In the study, a data set collected from 392 high school students between the ages of 15 and 18 was used. The data collection tools used in the study are the Personal Information Form, Defense Style Test (DST-40), Oxford Happiness Scale-Short Form (OHSS), and Brief Psychological Resilience Scale-Short Form (BPRS-SF). AMOS 20 and Hayes Process Macro v.4.2 were used for data analysis. After testing the measurement model, which is the first step of SEM, three structural models were constructed based on the empirical model. In the first model, the mediating effect of psychological resilience on the relationship between mature defense mechanisms (MDM) and happiness was examined, and it was found that MDM has a positive effect on happiness, and psychological resilience enhances this effect. In the second model, the mediating effect of psychological resilience on the relationship between neurotic defense mechanisms (NDM) and happiness was examined, revealing that NDM has a diminishing effect on happiness, while psychological resilience mitigates this negative effect. In the final model, the mediating effect of psychological resilience on the relationship between immature defense mechanisms (IDM) and happiness was examined, demonstrating that IDM has a negative effect on happiness, whereas psychological resilience reduces this negative effect. These results show that the second generation statistical analysis method, structural equation modeling (SEM), which is used to determine the causal and structural relationship between a large number of scales used in a research in the field of health. And to model the multiple relationships between these scales instead of pairwise analyses, reveals the relationships of observed and latent variables, and the mediation effect, shows that it is a more explanatory tool.