Depression and codependency in women

Seven million American women are depressed, and 40 million Americans, prima rily women, have been labeled as codependent. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of codependency in women undergoing treatment for depression , examine the relationship between codependency and depression, and determi ne which of the symptoms of codependency are most highly predictive of depr ession scores. Depression and codependency were measured in a sample of 105 depressed women by using the Beck Depression Inventory and the Codependenc y Assessment Tool. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's Product Moment Correla tion, and multiple regression were used for analysis. Of these depressed wo men, 36% were moderately to severely codependent. Depression and codependen cy were strongly related, with the significant gamma =.92 (P <.001). Of the codependency subscales, Low Self-Worth and Hiding Self correlate most stro ngly with depression; Other Focus/Self-Neglect added the least-independent- explanatory power. Thus, future research should be directed toward the rela tionship of codependency to power, alienation of self, and personality diso rders. Copyright (C) 1998 by W.B. Saunders Company.