DO CODEPENDENT TRAITS INVOLVE MORE THAN BASIC DIMENSIONS OF PERSONALITY AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Objective: Despite widespread use of the term codependency, empirical evidence regarding its construct validity is generally lacking. This s tudy analyzed the construct validity of codependency as measured by Po tter-Efron and Potter-Efron's Codependency Assessment Questionnaire (C AQ). It attempted to determine the CAQ's factor structure and whether there are any unique relations between symptoms of codependency and pa rental alcoholism after controlling for basic dimensions of personalit y and psychopathology. Method: Participants were 467 (246 male, 221 fe male) young adult children of alcoholics and controls who contributed complete questionnaire data at the fourth wave of a longitudinal study of factors related to alcohol use and abuse. Results: The CAQ showed reliability and basically a one dimensional structure, and CAQ scores were significantly related to family history. Although much of this re lation between family history and codependency was accounted for by ne uroticism and symptoms of general psychopathology, a small, but signif icant, association between family history and codependency remained ev en after statistically controlling for personality and psychopathology . Conclusions: We conclude that, although there may be unique aspects of the purported codependency syndrome that are related to a family hi story of alcoholism, most of the relation between codependency and fam ily history appears to be ''explained'' by general negative affectivit y.