Co-dependency, childhood emotional abuse and emotional neglect among partners of sex addicts

Abstract

In the sex addiction treatment, spouses are often neglected, excluded from counselling practice and left alone with their painful emotions and vulnerability. Present pilot study examines the level of co-dependency, emotional abuse and emotional neglect among partners of sex addicts, in comparison with the group intimately attached to nonsexual addicted individuals. Co-dependency was measured with Spann-Fischer Co-dependency Scale (SF CDS), emotional abuse and emotional neglect with Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The research sample consisted of 146 individuals (M = 32, SD = 10), including 123 women and 23 men. 27% of participants were in the relationship with the sex addict, 24 % women and 3 % men. It was found that partners of sex addicts were significantly more likely to be co-dependent as the group of individuals intimately attached to nonsexual addicted partners and experienced moderate to severe measure of emotional abuse and emotional neglect in childhood.