Potential Therapeutic Targets in People with Emotional Dependency

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationship between the components of emotional dependency (ED) with anxious, depressive, and impulsive symptomatology. Method: 98 university students (68% women, age M = 20.2 years, ED = 2.19) responded to the ED Questionnaire (EDQ) (Lemos & Londoño, 2006), the Beck Depression Inventory II (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2011), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck & Steer, 2011), and the short version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale BIS-15S (Spinella, 2007). Results: The structural model indicated that a fear of being alone is associated with separation anxiety, which in turn gives rise to plan modification (PM), search for emotional expression (SEE) and attention-seeking (AS). We found that PM was associated with depression, SEE with anxiety, and that impulsivity could lead to AS. Conclusion: These results identify potential therapeutic targets in people with ED.

Keywords

• Dependency
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Impulsivity
• Structural Equation Models