Self-esteem and emotional dependence in partner relationships in university students

Abstract

In partner relationships emotional dependence is characterized by demanding behavior patterns that cause suffering and pain in the person who experiences it in the face of a distorted concept of what love means and what a couple relationship implies, having as a consequence, stories of unbalanced relationships, sometimes enduring humiliation and assuming a role of submission in fear of losing the loved one. Some studies have shown that low self-esteem can be one of the causes associated with this emotional dependence, others have reported a low relationship between these two psychological conditions. Therefore, the present research aimed to identify the level of self-esteem and emotional dependence in university students and thus correlate both variables, seeing if one affected the other. Eighty-two students of the psychology degree from the Institute of Health Sciences participated, who were at the time of the study, in a relationship with a partner lasting at least 4 months. These were selected through non-probability convenience sampling. Under a non-experimental cross-sectional design, with correlational scope, the investigation was carried out. The results report a medium and inversely proportional correlation of self-esteem with the emotional dependence traits that were measured, which means that the higher the self-esteem, the lower the emotional dependence. Likewise, 61% of the participants presented a high level of self-esteem, and a level of dependence above the 19th percentile. It is concluded that regardless of the level of self-esteem that the participants present, there is a certain percentage of emotional dependence.