Measuring addictive relationships in couples: Psychometric properties of the italian version of the Cuestionario de Dependencia Emotional [Misurare la dipendenza affettiva nelle coppie: Caratteristiche psicometriche della versione italiana del Cuestionario de Dependencia Emocional]

Emotional dependence on a partner can be considered a relevant construct in both the research field as well as in clinical psychotherapeutic setting. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the 23-item Cuestionario de Dependencia Emocional (CDE; Lemos & Londoño, 2006) in an Italian sample of 409 people (50% male) aged 16-65 years (M = 34.06, SD = 14.45). A confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit for the six-factor correlated model of the Cuestionario de Dependencia Emocional. The questionnaire had good psychometric properties and an excellent internal consistency (α = 0.93). The results revealed interesting gender and age-related differences. In conclusion, this study suggests that even in the Italian sample the Cuestionario de Dependencia Emocional is both a reliable and potentially useful instrument for measuring the construct of emotional dependence on a partner. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.