Objective relations and the signs of histrionic personality: The mediating role of defense mechanisms

Background: Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is a clinical syndrome in which people have an interpersonal interaction style that is characterized by seduction, emotional superficiality, and displays of seduction, emotional superficiality, and drama. Aims: The present research was conducted with the aim of explaining the signs of Histrionic personality based on objective relationships and defense mechanisms. Methods: The research method was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of the study consisted of all undergraduate students of the University in Tehran in the school year they were in 2021- 22. For this purpose, 508 of these students were selected using multi-stage cluster random sampling. The tools of this study include, the brief histrionic personality symptoms (BHPS), The Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40), Bell Object Relations, and Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI) were used to analyze the data. Structural equation modeling method was used for data analysis using SPSS-22 and Lisrel software version 8.8. Results: The results showed that the objective relations directly explain 0.24% (P≤ 0.001),and through defense mechanisms 0.34% of the symptoms of histrionic personality (P≤ 0.001). In total, the estimation of the structural model in which the objective relations were entered into the model as a predictor variable and the defense mechanism as a mediator variable, showed that this model explains 0.47% of the symptoms of histrionic personality. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that the symptoms of dramatic personality are not a one-dimensional phenomenon and several variables can affect it, so in the treatment of the symptoms of this disorder, communication and individual variables should be checked.