Dependencia emocional y maltrato en mujeres víctimas de violencia contra la pareja / [Emotional dependence and abuse in women victims of intimate partner violence]

Los objetivos principales de este trabajo han sido estudiar la dependencia emocional (DE) existente en mujeres maltratadas y no maltratadas en relaciones de pareja duraderas con la “Escala de dependencia emocional de la pareja” (SED; Camarillo et al., 2020). Se examinó la relación existente entre la DE con variables clínicas y de personalidad y se establecieron unos puntos de corte para detectar el riesgo de violencia de pareja (VP) en mujeres en función de la DE. La muestra estuvo formada por 257 personas, 144 mujeres maltratadas en tratamiento y 113 mujeres no maltratadas. Las mujeres maltratadas puntuaron significativamente más y con una magnitud mucho mayor que las mujeres no maltratadas en todas las dimensiones de la DE. A su vez, la DE en las mujeres maltratadas estaba positivamente relacionada con la depresión, la ansiedad y la impulsividad y negativamente con la autoestima. Se han establecido unos puntos de corte para detectar el riesgo de VP en función de la DE. Por último, se señalan algunas limitaciones de este estudio y se plantean líneas de investigación futuras.

The main objectives of this paper have been to analyze the emotional dependency in battered and non-battered women when they are involved in lasting relationships with the Partner’s Emotional Dependency Scale (SED; Camarillo et al., 2020). The relationship was examined between emotional dependency and clinical and personality variables (anxiety, depression, self- esteem, and impulsivity), and cut-off points were established to detect the risk of intimate partner violence according to emotional dependency. The sample consisted of 257 people, 144 battered women in treatment and 113 non- battered women with the same demographics. Battered women scored much higher than non-battered women on all dimensions of emotional dependency. In turn, emotional dependency in battered women was significant and positively associated to depression, anxiety, and impulsivity and negatively to self-esteem. Some cut-off points have been suggested to detect the risk of intimate partner violence according to emotional dependency. Lastly, implications of this study for future research in this field are commented upon.

Partner’s Emotional Dependency Scale: Psychometrics.

INTRODUCTION: Emotional dependency in a partner implies an excessive permanent affectional bonding to the other individual that is dysfunctional, associated with low self-esteem and conceals a lack of affection. Emotional dependency generates a series of negative emotional consequences: symptoms of anxiety and depression, obsessive thoughts, sleep disorders and abandonment of social relations and leisure. In recent decades several tools have been developed to measure emotional dependency, but they are more focused on measuring dependent personality disorder, centered on an exclusively young population or are not validated in the Spanish population. The aim of this research is to design and validate a new scale to overcome these limitations. METHOD: The sample population included 166 adults (53 men and 113 women) from the general population, to whom a new scale was applied (partner’s emotional dependency scale, SED), as well as the CDE (Emotional Dependency Questionnaire). RESULTS: The scale has a unidimensional structure, showing good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .90) and a high convergent validity with the CDE (r = .86). There is no difference between men and women with regarding emotional dependency. Some cut-off points have been established based on the degree of emotional dependency (low, moderate, high and extreme). CONCLUSIONS: The SED is a brief assessment tool, simple to conduct and allows the degree of emotional dependency to be assessed unidimensionally with regard to a stable intimate relationship (current or past) in a normative population.

Escala de Dependencia Emocional de la Pareja: propiedades psicométricas / Partner's Emotional Dependency Scale: Psychometrics

INTRODUCCIÓN: La dependencia emocional de la pareja implica una vinculación afectiva permanente excesiva de la otra persona, que resulta disfuncional, que se asocia con una baja autoestima y que encubre carencias afectivas. La dependencia emocional genera una serie de consecuencias emocionales negativas: síntomas ansioso-depresivos, pensamientos obsesivos, alteraciones del sueño y abandono de relaciones sociales y de ocio. En las últimas décadas se han desarrollado diferentes instrumentos para medir la dependencia emocional, pero están más centrados en medir el trastorno de personalidad por dependencia, se focalizan en una población exclusivamente joven o no están validados en población española. El objetivo del estudio es diseñar y validar una nueva escala que haga frente a estas limitaciones. MÉTODO: La muestra ha contado con 166 personas adul-tas (53 hombres y 113 mujeres) de la población general, a las que se ha aplicado la nueva escala (Partner's Emotional Dependency Scale, SED) y el CDE (Cuestionario de Dependencia Emocional). RESULTADOS: La escala presenta una estructura unidimensional, muestra una buena consistencia interna (alfa de Cronbach = 0,90) y una alta validez convergente con el CDE (r = 0,86). No hay diferencias entre hombres y mujeres res-pecto a la dependencia emocional. Se establecen unos pun-tos de corte en función del grado de dependencia emocional (bajo, moderado, alto y extremo). CONCLUSIONES: La SED es un instrumento de evaluación breve, sencillo de cumplimentar y que permite evaluar unidimensionalmente el grado de dependencia emocional con respecto a la relación de pareja estable (actual o pasada) en una población normativa

INTRODUCTION. Emotional dependency in a partner implies an excessive permanent affectional bonding to the other in-dividual that is dysfunctional, associated with low self-esteem and conceals a lack of affection. Emotional dependency generates a series of negative emotional consequences: symptoms of anxiety and depression, obsessive thoughts, sleep disorders and abandonment of social relations and leisure. In recent decades several tools have been developed to measure emotional dependency, but they are more focused on measuring dependent personality disorder, centered on an exclusively young population or are not validated in the Spanish population. The aim of this research is to design and validate a new scale to overcome these limitations. METHOD. The sample population included 166 adults (53 men and 113 women) from the general population, to whom a new scale was applied (partner's emotional dependency scale, SED), as well as the CDE (Emotional Dependency Quesionnaire). RESULTS. The scale has a unidimensional structure, showing good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .90) and a high convergent validity with the CDE (r = .86). There is no difference between men and women with regarding emotional dependency. Some cut-off points have been established based on the degree of emotional dependency (low, moderate, high and extreme). CONCLUSIONS. The SED is a brief assessment tool, simple to conduct and allows the degree of emotional dependency to be assessed unidimensionally with regard to a stable intimate relationship (current or past) in a normative population