Emotional dependence and adult attachment style in dating relationships in spanish young people

A concept linked to Emotional Dependency is that of attachment, so that in its own definition are included terms such as pathological or invalidating attachment and it has even been found that personal history of childhood affective deficits and anxious adult attachment represent indicators of such disorder. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between emotional dependence and the different types of adult attachment, as well as their prevalence and profiles according to gender, age and the history of couples. To this end, 382 Spanish adolescents and young people aged 18-35 participated (M = 24.5; DT = 1,978). It has been determined that 23.3% of the participants show signs of emotional dependence, with men being the ones who score the highest, as well as young people with whom they have had more than two dating relationships. The relationship between emotional dependence and adult attachment styles has been demonstrated, in the sense that safe style is associated with the absence of ED and the elusive-fearful style with the highest levels. Evidence is provided of the relationship between emotional dependence and adult attachment, and the implications of couple relationships are discussed.