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What is codependency?

This article examines the rapidly developing codependency movement and appeals to psychologists to investigate this area systematically. An effort is made to clarify factors that have contributed to confusion about the meaning of codependency, and an argument is made for the use of operationally defined diagnostic criteria. Literature is reviewed on both dependency and codependency, and important differences between these two concepts are discussed. Cermak's (1986) proposition that codependency be added to the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders--revised (DSM-III-R; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) as an Axis II personality disorder also is considered. Research possibilities and clinical applications are explored in the areas of assessment and treatment and in considering the comorbidity of codependency with psychological and physical disorders.

Alcoholism

The stress of marriage to an alcoholic.

1. Historically, wives of alcoholics have been described as having disturbed, pathological personalities that were instrumental in causing and maintaining their husbands' drinking. More recently, researchers have tended to support the view that the behavior of these women reflects their stressful circumstances. 2. The women in the study reported interpersonal, extrapersonal, and intrapersonal stressors. The most frequently reported and highest ranked stressor was their relationships with their husbands. 3. Sobriety does not necessarily mean that stressors disappear. 4. More research is needed for nurses to have the knowledge necessary to help wives of alcoholics to cope with their stressors.

Adaptation, Psychological

Codependency: a disorder separate from chemical dependency.

This study examined the relationship between codependency (an excessive preoccupation with the lives, feelings, and problems of others), chemical dependency of a significant other, and depression. The Significant Others' Drug Use Survey (SODS) determined whether the subject was in a relationship with a significant other at risk of being chemically dependent. Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess depression. Two hypotheses were tested: first, that codependency exists independently of chemical dependency and, second, that codependent people tend to be more depressed than non-codependents. Results supported the first hypothesis, but not the second. A significant correlation between depression and having a significant other likely to be chemically dependent was observed. The usefulness of the concept of codependency is discussed with proposals for subsequent research.

Adult

Male heroin addicts and their female mates: impact on disorder and recovery.

A pilot investigation was undertaken to determine whether the social relationships between men who currently used heroin with their female mates differed from those of men who formerly used heroin, but were currently abstinent, with their female mates. Six couples were selected for study via the representative case method. Men currently abstinent from heroin had begun drug use later, had a family history of affective disorders, and had initiated their conjugal relationship after cessation of heroin use. Female mates of males currently abstinent from heroin had never used heroin with their mates in conjunction with sexual activity, had significantly positive ratings of their mates' performance of social roles, and were striving to obtain formal training to improve their employment skills. In contrast, the couples including actively using heroin addicts used opiates together, especially to enhance their sexual activity. The relationships of these couples were not as mutually supportive, and the male's role was less responsible and attracted less respect than that of the abstinent male. The females were depressed and had little positive aspects to their lives. Partners in all couples experienced a large number of stressful events, but current heroin use increased stress and hampered coping efforts. Interaction analysis of dynamics in relationships of men currently abstinent from heroin revealed that participation in mates' family life served to reshape their behaviors into more socially acceptable roles.

Adult

Measuring codependents' close relationships: a preliminary study.

A survey of clinical literature and input from addiction counselors yielded eight commonly assumed characteristics of codependents' relationships. These were defined in a manner amenable to measurement by the Acquaintance Description Form (Wright, 1985), and added to the standard form to provide a codependent version (ADF-C2). Forty-one women and 19 men awaiting or beginning codependent counseling responded to the ADF-C2, and to Friel's Codependency Assessment Inventory and forms soliciting background information. Thirty-nine women and 30 men from the general population provided a comparison group. Although tentative, results were encouraging concerning progress toward measuring codependents' relationships. Broad profiles for both women and men supported the foundational observation that codependents maintain strong commitments to their partners notwithstanding stress and unrewardingness. Specifically, codependent women showed five expected characteristics: Control, Exaggerated Responsibility, Worth Dependency, Rescue Orientation, and Change Orientation. Codependent men showed two: Control and Exaggerated Responsibility.

Alcoholism

'Enabling' of male problem drinkers in work groups.

Theoretical understanding of the effects of groups on the development and the maintenance of adult problem drinking is sparse. Sociological theories predict that adult problem drinkers find support for their behavior among those with similar drinking patterns. By contrast, a widely diffused clinical conceptualization posits that 'significant others' who are not problem drinkers facilitate the maintenance of problem drinking. Several previous lines of research lead to the hypothesis that observed delays in identification and referral of problem drinkers in the workplace may be due to supportive relationships between problem drinkers and their coworkers and supervisors. Data from the 1973-77 Quality of Employment Panel Survey are utilized to provide a longitudinal test of this hypothesis among employed men. Results support the existence of enabling in the workplace. Data comparing 'enabled' and 'non-enabled' problem drinking workers fail to support four possible explanations of enabling.

Adult

Codependency: characteristics, risks, progression, and strategies for healing.

Codependency and caring are issues concerning nurses practicing in the 1990s. Questions about "caring" and "caring too much" at one's own expense are examined. Characteristics, roles, and risk factors for codependency are identified. Strategies for healing are suggested for nurses who "care too much."

Birth Order

Adult children of alcoholics in treatment programs for anxiety disorders and substance abuse.

Studies of the first-degree relatives of patients with alcoholism and anxiety disorders have identified a significant overlap of these disorders. Forty percent of the patients in an outpatient anxiety disorder program were adult children of alcoholics (ACOA), a proportion similar to that found in the substance abuse program. The ACOAs in both programs were younger, had higher co-dependency scores and were younger when they had their first psychiatric contact than the controls. The adult children of alcoholics who had anxiety disorders were more likely to be female and their alcoholic parents were less likely to have had psychiatric antecedents to alcoholism. Aside from substance abuse, similarities in sociodemographic variables and the impact of the parents' alcoholism were noted, reinforcing the hypothesis that vulnerabilities to anxiety disorders and alcoholism overlap.

Adult

MMPI profiles of women in codependency treatment.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) profiles of 73 women presenting themselves for treatment of codependency in a 10-day residential setting were examined. Results suggest a significant amount of psychopathology to be present in this population. More than 50% of these individuals produced clinically significant elevations of five or more scales, and 38% produced elevations on six or more scales.

Adult

Does the codependent encourage substance-dependent behavior? Paradoxical injunctions in the codependent relationship.

It is argued that the paradoxical nature of the power structure within the codependent relationship places limits on the types of control strategies that codependents can utilize in their attempts to extinguish their partner's substance-dependent behavior. From a social exchange and learning theory perspective, it is argued that the types of control strategies that codependents utilize are not only ineffective, but they actually operate to strengthen the likelihood that substance misuse will be repeated in the future. Types of communication behaviors that codependents utilize in order to control are considered, along with ensuing implications for intervention.

Codependency, Psychological

Codependency.

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Child of Impaired Parents