[The concept, the symptoms and the etiological factors of codependency]. / A kodependencia fogalma, tünetei és a kialakulásában szerepet játszó tényezok.

The concept of codependency stems from the field of chemical dependency. Initially, codependent individuals meant women who dominated their partners and took care of them, while women actually were dependent upon their husbands. Nowadays, it has been recognized that men can become codependent as well, and its presence is not limited only to the relationship. This paper reviews the various interpretations of codependency and the empirical researches on the etiological factors of codependency. The explanatory models of codependency can be placed on a continuum of severity: psychopathology on the level of personality disorder, behavioural addiction, or excessive feminine behaviour. The etiology is mutifactorical: biological, psychological and social elements are also listed among etiology factors. The individual variability of the predisposition to care, failure of prefrontal cortex to inhibit empathic responses, a multitude of aversive experiences in a dysfunctional family (e.g. parental conflicts, emotional abuse, neglect and parentification), changes in the perception of women's role, and the emergence of substance abuse in the family could play a role in the development of codependency. Codependency is often unrecognized. Codependent individuals visit the health care system with stress-related or depressive symptoms which can mask the underlying causes, thus, it is possible that they will only receive symptomatic treatment. Through its trans-generational nature, codependency endangers children growing up in the family.

[Psychometric properties of the Hungarian version of the Codependence Questionnaire]. / A magyar nyelvu Kodependencia Kérdoív psgichometriai vizsgálata.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study is to assess the internal consistency of the subscales of the Hungarian Version of the Codependent Questionnaire (CdQ, Roehling & Gaumond, 1996). Thus, a reliable measurement of codependency for professionals become available in Hungary. The Hungarian Version of the Codependent Questionnaire enables professionals to identify codependent individuals. METHODS: Our sample (N=137) was recruited from the general population and from self-help groups (82 individuals); and patients with borderline personality disorder (55 individuals) were recruited as clinical control group. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by Cronbach's alfa and principal component analysis. In addition, in order to investigate the latent structure, factors analyses and hierarchical cluster analysis were used. RESULTS: Based on our results, the Cronbach's alfa values of the subscales of 'control', 'reliability' and 'intimacy' indicate appropriate reliability, however, the subscale of 'enmeshment' indicates poor reliability. The originally assumed factor structure is not supported by the results of the statistical analyses. The subscales are not separate from each other, which is also indicated by the correlations of the total scores of the subscales. CONCLUSION: The reliability of the Hungarian Version of the Codependent Questionnaire is nearly identical to the original data, except for one subscale ('enmeshment subscale'). Based on these results the Hungarian Version of the Codependent Questionnaire is considered to be reliable. Besides the Hungarian adaptation, the strength of this study is the investigation of a clinical sample. The use of the questionnaire is recommended without the subscale of 'enmeshment' and further 5 items, and it is suggested to use as one scale.