Parental attachment styles and emotional dependence in the romantic relationships of a sample of university students in Colombia

The purpose of the research was to identify the relationship between parental attachment styles and emotional dependence in the romantic relationships of a group of university students in Colombia. This is a quantitative study of descriptive correlational type. The sample selected, a convenience one, was 500 university students, of which 34.2 % were men and 65.8 % women between 18 and 25 years. The data collection questionnaire consisted of 81 questions. The questions were based on the following instruments: sociodemographic data, Parental Attachment Inventory (IPPA); Emotional Dependency Questionnaire (CDE). We found that there is a positive relationship between parental lifestyles and emotional dependence in romantic relationships, young people, the components, the sample, as well as the positive relationship between socioeconomic status and gender in the manifestations of emotional dependence within the romantic relationship.