The role of emotional dependence in the relationship between attachment and impulsive behavior

Abstract

The emotional dependence has been related with the problems in the impulse control and with the preoccupied attachment style. The objectives of this study are to analyze the relation between the emotional dependence, attachment and the impulsive behavior, as well as, to analyze if these final two can predict the emotional dependence. Furthermore, it analyze if the emotional dependence mediate in the relation between attachment and impulsivity and, finally, it studies the differences of gender in the three mentioned variables. The sample is formed by 1533 teenagers (707 women and 826 men), with ages between 14-18 years old (M = 15.76; SD = 1.25). The results showed of positives relations between the emotional dependence and the parental permission, childhood trauma and impulsive behavior. Moreover, the impulsivity is positively related with the fact to avoid to be alone, asymmetric relation, the need to please others, parental permission and childhood trauma. In the same way, it proves how the parental permission, self-sufficiency and resentment against parents and childhood trauma can predict the emotional dependence. Finally, it observes how the relation between the attachment and the impulsive behavior is mediated with the emotional dependency and it appreciates differences between the three variables in gender basis.

Full text

anales de psicología / annals of psychology
2018, vol. 34, nº 3 (october), 438-445
http://dx.doi.org/10.6018/analesps.34.3.313681
© Copyright 2018: Editum. Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia. Murcia (Spain)
ISSN print edition: 0212-9728. ISSN on line edition (http://revistas.um.es/analesps): 1695-2294.
On line edition License Creative Commons 4.0: BY-NC-ND
- 438 -
The role of emotional dependence in the relationship between attachment
and impulsive behavior
Ana Estévez2, María D. Chávez-Vera1,3, Janire Momeñe2, Leticia Olave1, Daniel Vázquez1, and Itziar Iruarrizaga1
1 Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).
2 University of Deusto (Spain).
3 Technical University of Manabí (Ecuador).
Título: El papel de la dependencia emocional en la relación entre el apego
y la conducta impulsiva.
Resumen: La dependencia emocional se define como una necesidad afec-
tiva extrema que una persona siente hacia su pareja. Se ha relacionado con
el déficit de control de impulsos y con el estilo de apego preocupado. El
presente estudio tiene como objetivos analizar la relación entre la depen-
dencia emocional, el apego y la conducta impulsiva, así como, analizar si es-
tas dos últimas predicen la dependencia emocional. Además, se analiza si la
dependencia emocional media en la relación entre el apego y la impulsivi-
dad y, finalmente, se estudian las diferencias de género en las tres variables
mencionadas. La muestra está formada por 1533 adolescentes (707 mujeres
y 826 hombres), con edades que oscilan entre los 14-18 años (M = 15.76;
DT = 1.25). Los resultados muestran relaciones positivas entre la depen-
dencia emocional y la permisividad parental, traumatismo infantil e impulsi-
vidad. Asimismo, la impulsividad se relaciona de manera positiva con evitar
estar solo, relación asimétrica, necesidad de agradar, permisividad parental y
traumatismo infantil. Igualmente, se comprueba como la permisividad pa-
rental, autosuficiencia y rencor contra los padres y el traumatismo infantil
predicen la dependencia emocional. Finalmente, se observa como la rela-
ción entre el apego y la conducta impulsiva es mediada por la dependencia
emocional y se aprecian diferencias en las tres variables en función del gé-
nero.
Palabras clave: dependencia emocional; apego; conducta impulsiva; ado-
lescentes.
Abstract: The emotional dependence has been related with the problems
in the impulse control and with the preoccupied attachment style. The ob-
jectives of this study are to analyze the relation between the emotional de-
pendence, attachment and the impulsive behavior, as well as, to analyze if
these final two can predict the emotional dependence. Furthermore, it ana-
lyze if the emotional dependence mediate in the relation between attach-
ment and impulsivity and, finally, it studies the differences of gender in the
three mentioned variables. The sample is formed by 1533 teenagers (707
women and 826 men), with ages between 14-18 years old (M = 15.76; SD
= 1.25). The results showed of positives relations between the emotional
dependence and the parental permission, childhood trauma and impulsive
behavior. Moreover, the impulsivity is positively related with the fact to
avoid to be alone, asymmetric relation, the need to please others, parental
permission and childhood trauma. In the same way, it proves how the pa-
rental permission, self-sufficiency and resentment against parents and
childhood trauma can predict the emotional dependence. Finally, it ob-
serves how the relation between the attachment and the impulsive behavior
is mediated with the emotional dependency and it appreciates differences
between the three variables in gender basis.
Key words: emotional dependency; attachment; impulsive behavior; ado-
lescents.
Introduction
Early childhood experiences form the schemes about one-
self and others that will serve for the later development of
personality (Young, 1999). Early affective deficiencies may
be responsible for the etiology of emotional dependence
(Castelló, 2012). Many of the first affective experiences in
people with emotional dependence are negative (Scantam-
burlo, Pitchot & Ansseau, 2013). As a result, relationships
could be used to try to meet unmet emotional needs in
childhood (Lemos & Londoño, 2006; Michelena, 2007;
Skvortsova & Shumskiy, 2014). Emotional dependence is
defined as an extreme affective need that a person feels to-
wards their partner in the course of their different relation-
ships (Castelló, 2005). Their intense fear of rupture contam-
inates the emotional bond, making them vulnerable and
pathological (Del Castillo, Hernández, Romero & Iglesias,
2015). They usually establish relationships as a couple since
adolescence and experience ruptures as catastrophic events
(Castelló, 2012). They are also accompanied by loss of iden-
* Correspondence address [Dirección para correspondencia]:
Itziar Iruarrizaga. Dpto. Psicología Básica II (Procesos Cognitivos). Facultad
de Trabajo Social. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Campus de Somo-
saguas s/n, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid (Spain). E-mail: icia-
riru@psi.ucm.es
tity (Schaeffer, 1998), role asymmetry, possessive behaviors,
intense energetic attrition, emotional instability and continu-
ous inner emptiness (Moral & Sirvent, 2008). The fear of
rupture is such that they remain in relationships that cause
them discomfort in order to retain the couple alongside
them, sacrificing their own desires and needs and leading to
deterioration in their quality of life (Cubas, Espinoza, Galli
& Terrones, 2004). However, despite experiencing negative
feelings such as sadness, despair, abrupt emotional changes
and irrepressible temptations, they also perceive very intense
positive feelings such as passion, immense happiness and
reduction of tension (Skvortsova & Shumskiy, 2014).
An important aspect is that the first love relationships
during adolescence are positive because they could influence
the way relationships behave in adulthood (Pradas & Perles,
2012). In this line, the acquisition of emotional dependence
could be explained by inadequate attachment during child-
hood which would remain stable throughout life (Izquierdo
& Gómez-Acosta, 2013). Attachment is considered a basic
necessity throughout the entire life cycle (Gómez-Zapiain,
Ortiz & Gómez-Lope, 2012), influencing the choice of the
couple and the way they act within it (Barroso, 2014; López,
2003). Previous studies have linked emotional dependence
to attachment styles in adulthood by pointing to the pre-
dominance of preoccupied attachment (Momeñe & Estévez,

The role of emotional dependence in the relationship between attachment and impulsive behavior 439
anales de psicología / annals of psychology, 2018, vol. 34, nº 3 (october)
accepted publication; Yárnoz-Yaben, 2010). This style of at-
tachment implies a high anxiety for abandonment, a high de-
sire for closeness, intimacy (Alonso-Arbiol, Shaver &
Yárnoz, 2002), commitment (Feeney & Noller, 1990), jeal-
ousy and obsessive concern (Feeney & Noller, 2001). In this
sense, dependent persons emit behaviours aimed at prevent-
ing the couple's abandonment by employing manipulation,
which could endanger their lives or threaten to inflict harm
(Villegas & Sánchez, 2013). In this line, it has been proved
how the type of attachment influences the functional or dys-
functional expression of anger (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2011),
being the preoccupied attachment, predominant in people
with emotional dependence, prone to experience greater an-
ger and impulsivity (Loinaz, 2011) and inability to regulate it
(Loinaz & Echeburúa, 2012). Consequently, both real or im-
aginary rupture attempts and emotional estrangement (May-
seless, 1991) can disproportionately activate dysfunctional
attachment by precipitating aggressive behaviors (Loinaz &
Echeburua, 2012). In the same way, attachment figures in
childhood play a crucial role in the acquisition of a good ca-
pacity for emotional regulation, being the absence of contact
and lack of care those who predispose to react more impul-
sively and aggressively in adulthood (Barroso, 2014). This is
what happens in emotional dependents where their attach-
ment figures show negligent behavior, seriously neglecting
their obligations, relating in an affectionately poor way and
even providing them with ill-treatment (Castelló, 2005). This
is how they would obtain, therefore, dysfunctional schemes
of insufficient self-control of impulses and emotions and
low tolerance to frustration (Jaller & Lemos, 2009). As can
be seen, impulsivity plays an important role in substance ad-
dictions (Belin, Mar, Dalley, Robins & Everitt, 2008), how-
ever, emotionally dependent people due to their similarity
with addictive pathologies also show deficits in impulse con-
trol (Villegas & Sánchez, 2013), difficulties in emotional reg-
ulation (Momeñe, Jáuregui & Estévez, 2017), and a great
comorbidity with anxious-depressive symptomatology
(Deave & McGraw, 2003). Impulsivity may refer to rapid,
unplanned actions where immediate reinforcement is experi-
enced as a matter of urgency (Moeller, Barrat, Dougerty,
Schmitz & Swann, 2001), showing an inability to delay or in-
hibit a response (Papachristou, Nederkoorn, Havermans,
Van der Horst & Jansen, 2012), actions expressed prema-
turely, risky or inappropriate behaviours that are often unde-
sirable for the situation (Evenden, 1999), leading to behav-
ioural disinhibition (Verdejo-García, Lawrence & Clark,
2008).
Because of this, the objectives of this study have been to
study the relationship between dependence, attachment and
impulsive behavior, as well as to analyze whether the latter
two predict emotional dependence. The differences in the
variables mentioned above are also analyzed according to
gender and, finally, it has been verified whether the average
emotional dependence in the relationship between attach-
ment and impulsivity.
Method
It is a non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational design
study. The sampling method used is probabilistic with a
stratified-unietapic random sampling type with proportional
affixing; the distribution was made according to weight or
size within the population. In order to stratify, the following
factors were taken into account: the number of educational
units, the number of adolescents per class, urban and rural
parishes, and the distribution of courses by sex. The refer-
ence population is made up of adolescents attending school
in the Fiscal Educational Units of the Urban and Rural Par-
ishes of the Portoviejo Canton in the Province of Manabí in
the Republic of Ecuador, which encompass different socio-
demographic sectors that share common characteristics and
constitute the object of study.
Participants
The sample is composed of 1.533 adolescents with
schooling of both sexes, 53.9% male (826) and 46.1% female
(707), aged between 14 and 18 years (M = 15.76, DT = 1.25)
belonging to twelve Fiscal Educational Units of the different
urban (60%) and rural (40%) socio-demographic sectors of
the Canton Portoviejo of the Province of Manabí of the Re-
public of Ecuador. In order to obtain the sample, Ecuador's
official bodies (National Council for Narcotic and Psycho-
tropic Substances Control, 2005) were considered, and today
it is known as the Technical Secretariat for Drugs (SETED).
The design of the sample and the determination of its size
were defined and calculated following the same criteria as
those used in the Report of the Second National Survey of
Secondary Education Students on Drug Use (2005) of the
Republic of Ecuador conducted by the National Council for
Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Control. These pa-
rameters used for the calculation, as referred to by the
Council in that report, are those applied to all the studies
carried out on the continent. The target population was the
fiscal educational units of adolescents enrolled in tenth
grade, first, second and third year of high school. The selec-
tion of the educational units was obtained from the database
of the Ministry of Education Zonal Coordination 4 district
13D01, the educational units belong to the canton, parish es-
tablished, institution zone (urban and rural), support related
to the Fiscal Educational Units and representative of differ-
ent socio-demographic zones of the Canton Portoviejo. For
the calculation of the sample size, the confidence level of the
sample and the relationship with the margin of error or vari-
ation that always exists between the results obtained in a
sample and its inference towards the population were con-
sidered. The confidence level used is. 95 with a margin of er-
ror of .015. Due to the sampling characteristics it is consid-
ered a correction factor by design effect to increase sample
size and decrease the variability of observations, this factor
was estimated at 2. Finally, this sample size was increased to
compensate for 10% of possible non-response.

440 Ana Estévez et al.
anales de psicología / annals of psychology, 2018, vol. 34, nº 3 (october)
Each educational unit had the probability of selection di-
rectly proportional to the number of classes in the Tenth
General Basic Education (GBS) and the Unified General
Baccalaureate (BGU) (first, second and third years of Bachil-
lerato). In the educational units with a number of classrooms
greater than the sampling interval, several classes could be
selected. The criteria for the selection of the strata were the
representativeness criteria that correspond to the capital of
Manabí of the Republic of Ecuador; this study will represent
the two parishes (urban and rural) of the different educa-
tional units. The sample consisted of: a) The capital of
Manabí Portoviejo with two parishes: urban and rural, and
b) 12 educational units belonging to the two parishes, as-
suming a total of 1.533 adolescents belonging to the 12 edu-
cational units and parishes.
Procedure
The study was preceded by the provision of informed
consent to the parents and/or guardians of the adolescents
who completed the questionnaires. They were also informed
about the rules of completion, duration and aspects to be
measured, voluntarily conducting the study, confidentiality
and anonymity of the data obtained and telephone and e-
mail addresses of the reference researcher to contact. Since
the data collection has been done in paper format, during
the administration of the questionnaires the researcher
stayed in the classroom with the students until they were all
returned to her. It was optional for teachers to remain in the
classroom. The students collaborating in the research re-
ceived a pencil and certificate of participation as a token of
their appreciation.
This study was carried out following the criteria of the
Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association, 2013).
Instruments
Attachment. CaMir-R (Balluerka, Lacasa, Gorostiaga,
Muela & Pierrehumbert, 2011). This instrument is the short-
ened version of CaMir (Pierrehumbert et al., 1996). Evalu-
ates attachment representations and conception of family
functioning through 32 items.
The internal structure of the questionnaire consists of 7
dimensions, five of which refer to the representations of at-
tachment (security: availability and support of attachment
figures; family concern; parental interference; self-
sufficiency, resentment against parents; and childhood trau-
ma) and two refer to the representations of family structure
(parental authority and parental permission). The scale of
"security: availability and support of attachment figures" re-
fers to one's own perception of having felt and feeling loved
by their attachment figures, as well as being able to trust
them and perceive their availability if needed. The scale of
"family concern" refers to intense separation anxiety and ex-
cessive preoccupation at the present time with attachment
figures. The "parental interference" scale refers to memories
of being overprotected during childhood, being a fearful
child, showing concern about being abandoned. The "paren-
tal authority" scale is the person's positive assessment of
family values of authority and hierarchy, while the "parental
permission" scale shows memories of a lack of limits and pa-
rental guidance during childhood. The scale of "self-
sufficiency and resentment against parents" refers to a sense
of resentment towards loved ones and rejection of feelings
of dependence and emotional reciprocity. Finally, the scale
of "childhood trauma" refers to memories of having experi-
enced lack of availability, violence and threats from attach-
ment figures during childhood. It is answered through a Lik-
ert scale from 1 ("totally disagree") to 5 ("totally agree"). The
internal consistency values in the Spanish adaptation are sat-
isfactory (the value of Alpha in the different subscales is be-
tween .60 and .85). In this study Cronbach's alpha is .90.
Emotional dependence in dating relationships in young people. The
Emotional Dependence Scale in the Bridehood of Youth
and Adolescents (DEN; Urbiola, Estévez & Iraurgi, 2014).
This scale consists of 12 items structured in 4 subscales: (a)
Avoiding being alone, refers to the actions carried out by the
dependent person in order to avoid being alone; (b) Necessi-
ty of exclusivity, refers to the dependent person's need to
know at all times that his or her partner is available only for
him or her; (d) Asymmetric relationship refers to the subor-
dinate and asymmetrical nature of the relationship. It is an-
swered through a Likert scale of 6 points, from 0 ("never")
to 5 ("always"), indicating with which they identify with each
other in their relationships. To complete the questionnaire it
is necessary to have had at least one dating relationship. In
relation to the internal consistency of the DEN, it obtained
a Cronbach alpha of .82 in the validation study, being a value
of reliability considered as high. In this study the value of
Cronbach's alpha is .87.
Impulsivity. Impulsivity scale of BARRAT BIS 11 (Salvo
& Castro, 2013). This scale has been designed to evaluate
impulsivity considering the construct from a multidimen-
sional point of view. It consists of 30 items that are grouped
into three subscales: Cognitive Impulsivity, related to the
restlessness of thinking and quick decision making, Motor
Impulsivity, implies acting in a hasty way without previous
reflection and Unplanned Impulsivity, carrying out actions
without planning towards the future. It is answered by a Lik-
ert scale of 4 response options (0 "rarely or never"; 1 "occa-
sionally"; 3 "often"; 4 "always or almost always"). The inter-
nal consistency values in the Chilean adaptation, used here,
are acceptable (Cronbach's alpha value for the full scale is
.77). In this study Cronbach's alpha is .81.
Statistical analysis
First, bivariate relationships between emotional depend-
ence, attachment and impulsive behavior were analyzed us-
ing Pearson's r. The effect size was interpreted as described
by Cohen (1992) in the following way: values under .20 were
considered small, those around .50 medium and those higher

The role of emotional dependence in the relationship between attachment and impulsive behavior 441
anales de psicología / annals of psychology, 2018, vol. 34, nº 3 (october)
than .80 large. Second, a multi-step multiple regression anal-
ysis was performed to test the predictive role of attachment
and impulsivity over emotional dependence. Third, a media-
tion was conducted to see whether the dependence on the
relationship between attachment and impulsive behavior was
mediated. Finally, the differences in mean differences ac-
cording to gender in emotional dependence, attachment and
impulsive behavior were analyzed.
Results
Correlation between attachment, emotional depend-
ence and impulsivity
First, the correlations between attachment, emotional
dependence and impulsivity were measured (Table 1). The
degree of relationship was determined according to Cohen
(1992) as follows: values below .20 would be small; around
.50 would be medium and above .80 would be large.
The results show small, though significant, positive cor-
relations between emotional dependence and parental per-
mission, childhood trauma and impulsivity. In terms of im-
pulsivity, the results reflect positive relationships with avoid-
ance of loneliness, asymmetric relationship, need to please,
parental permission and childhood trauma. Likewise, un-
planned impulsivity is negatively related to security, family
concern, parental interference and parental authority. Final-
ly, motor impulsivity is positively related to the need for ex-
clusivity and self-sufficiency and resentment against parents.
Table 1. Correlation between attachment, emotional dependence and impulsivity.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
1
--
2
.62**
--
3
.64**
.71**
--
4
.56**
.56**
.56**
--
5
.82**
.88**
.87**
.79**
--
6
-.09**
-.01
-.03
-.08**
-.06*
--
7
-.05*
.03
-.01
-.02
-.01
.65**
--
8
.02
.08**
.03
.05
.06*
.45**
.53**
--
9
-.07**
.01
-.03
-.06*
-.04
.65**
.60**
.52**
--
10
.11**
.09**
.07**
.07**
.10**
.20**
.27**
.41**
.16**
--
11
.10
.02
-.01
.01
.01
.16**
.26**
.37**
.28**
.33**
--
12
0.13**
.10**
.08**
.12**
.12**
-.05*
.09**
.24**
.05
.32**
.43**
--
13
.06*
.05
.03
.11**
.07**
-.18**
-.05*
.00
-.11**
.07**
.11**
.12*
--
14
.13**
.12**
.10**
.14**
.14**
-.02
.04
.11**
.02
.12**
.18**
.15**
.34**
--
15
.13**
.03
.06*
.09**
.09**
-.27**
-.19**
-.13**
-.25**
.09**
.01
.11**
.36**
.08**
--
16
.16**
.10**
.10**
.16**
.15**
-.22**
-.10**
-.01
-.16**
.13**
.14**
.18**
.72**
.70**
.70**
--
Note: **p < .001; *p < .05.
1= Avoid being alone; 2=Necessity of exclusivity; 3=Need to please; 4=Asymmetrical relationship; 5=Emotional dependence; 6=Security; 7=Family con-
cern; 8=Parental interference; 9=Parental authority; 10=Parental permission; 11=Self sufficiency, resentment against parents; 12=Child trauma; 13= Cog-
nitive impulsivity; 14= Motor Impulsivity; 15 = Unplanned Impulsivity; 16 = Total Impulsivity
Regression of attachment and impulsive behavior
on emotional dependence
Secondly, the predictive role of attachment and impul-
sive behavior on emotional dependence was tested (Table 2).
The results obtained in a statistically significant way are
shown below. The results indicate parental permission (R =
.22; R² = .05; R² corrected = .04; p = .02), self-sufficiency
and rancor against parents (R = .22; R² = .05; corrected R² =
.04; p = .00) and childhood trauma (R = .22; R² = .05; cor-
rected R² = .04; p = .00) as predictors of emotional depend-
ence.
Influence of emotional dependence on the relation-
ship between attachment and impulsivity
Thirdly, the relationship between attachment and impul-
sivity is analyzed, being this relationship mediated by emo-
tional dependence.
Attachment is initially associated with impulsivity (Table
3). As can be seen in security, parental authority, parental
permission, self-sufficiency and resentment against parents
and child trauma are statistically significantly associated with
impulsivity.
Table 2. Multiple linear regression of impulsive behavior and attachment to
emotional dependence.
Model
B
β
t
p
Parental permission
.26
.07
2.31
.02*
Self-sufficiency, resentment
against parents
-.26
-.09
-2.89
.00**
Childhood trauma
.22
.10
3.48
.00**
Note: **p < .001; *p < .05.

442 Ana Estévez et al.
anales de psicología / annals of psychology, 2018, vol. 34, nº 3 (october)
Table 3. The predictive role of attachment on impulsivity
Predictor variable
B
β
t
p
Variable criterion
Security
-.28
-.22
-6.01
.00**
Impulsivity
Parental authority
-.29
-.10
-2.70
.01*
Impulsivity
Parental permission
.30
.11
3.91
.00**
Impulsivity
Self-sufficiency, resentment against parents
.27
.12
4.11
.00**
Impulsivity
Childhood trauma
.14
.09
3.11
.00**
Impulsivity
Note: **p < .01; *p < .05
Later, attachment is associated with emotional depend-
ence (Table 4). Parental interference, parental permission,
self-sufficiency and resentment against parents, and child-
hood trauma are statistically significantly associated with
emotional dependence.
Table 4. Attachment as a predictor of emotional dependence
Predictor variable
B
β
t
p
Variable criterion
Parental interference
.21
.07
2.02
.04*
Emotional dependence
Parental permission
.29
.08
2.67
.01*
Emotional dependence
Self-sufficiency, resentment against parents
-.21
-.07
-2.32
.02*
Emotional dependence
Childhood trauma
.25
.11
3.85
.00**
Emotional dependence
Note: **p < .01; *p < .05
Finally, emotional dependence is associated with impul-
sivity by controlling the association between attachment and
impulsivity (Table 5). The results show how safety, parental
authority, parental permission, self-sufficiency and resent-
ment against parents, child trauma and emotional depend-
ence are statistically significantly associated with impulsivity.
As can be seen, the non-standardised coefficient of the
safety variable changes from the first step -.28 to -.27 in the
third step. This means that 3.57% of the variance in the rela-
tionship between security and impulsivity is explained by
emotional dependence. Likewise, the non-standardized coef-
ficient of the variable parental authority is changed from the
first step -.29 to -.28 in the third step. This means that
3.44% of the variance in the relationship between parental
authority and impulsivity is explained by emotional depend-
ence. Similarly, the non-standardised coefficient of the pa-
rental permission variable changes from .30 in the first step
to .28 in the third step. This means that 6.66% of the vari-
ance in the relationship between parental permission and
impulsivity is explained by emotional dependence. Similarly,
the non-standardized coefficient of the variable self-
sufficiency and resentment against parents goes from being
.27 in the first step to .28 in the third step, assuming that -
3.70% of the variance in the relationship between self-
sufficiency and resentment against parents and impulsivity is
explained by emotional dependence. Finally, the non-
standardized coefficient of the variable childhood trauma,
changes from being .14 in the first step to .12 in the third
step, which means that 14.28% of the variance in the rela-
tionship between childhood trauma and impulsivity is ex-
plained by emotional dependence.
Table 5. Mediation analysis of the indirect effect of attachment on impulsive behavior, this relationship being mediated by emotional dependence.
Predictor variable
B
β
t
p
Variable criterion
Security
-.27
-.21
-5.83
.00
Impulsivity
Parental authority
-.28
-.09
-2.62
.01
Impulsivity
Parental leave
.28
.10
3.61
.00
Impulsivity
Self-sufficiency, resentment against parents
.28
.13
4.40
.00
Impulsivity
Childhood trauma
.12
.07
2.67
.01
Impulsivity
Emotional dependence
.08
.11
4.48
.00
Impulsivity
Note: **p < .01; *p < .05
Gender differences in attachment, emotional de-
pendence and impulsivity
Finally, gender differences in attachment, emotional de-
pendence and impulsivity were analyzed (Table 6). The re-
sults obtained in a statistically significant way are shown be-
low. The men scored significantly higher in avoiding being
alone, need to please, asymmetric relationship, emotional
dependence, cognitive impulsivity and unplanned impulsivity
with a small effect size in all of them (avoiding being alone: d
= .25; need to please: d = .27; asymmetrical relationship: d =
.16; emotional dependence: d = .24; cognitive impulsivity: d
= .05; unplanned impulsivity: d = .15). The women scored
significantly higher on safety, family concern and parental
authority, with a small effect size (security: d = .08; family
concern: d = .18; parental authority: d = .15).

The role of emotional dependence in the relationship between attachment and impulsive behavior 443
anales de psicología / annals of psychology, 2018, vol. 34, nº 3 (october)
Table 6. Mean differences in attachment, emotional dependence and impulsivity according to gender
Variables
Men (n= 826)
Woman (n= 707)
t
M
DT
M
DT
Avoid being alone
3.26
3.01
1.81
2.41
10.18**
Need to please
4.46
3.77
2.53
2.95
11.00**
Asymmetric ratio
3.78
3.41
2.70
3.10
6.41*
Emotional dependency
16.83
12.18
11.11
10.16
9.88**
Security
27.63
6.95
28.72
6.24
-3.20*
Family concern
21.60
5.79
23.59
5.08
-7.12**
Parental authority
12.42
3.05
13.29
2.37
-6.10**
Cognitive impulsivity
19.43
2.89
19.15
3.13
1.85*
Unplanned impulsivity
26.06
4.70
24.72
4.28
5.78*
Note: **p < .001; *p < .05.
Discussion
The first objective of this study has been to study the rela-
tionship between emotional dependence, attachment and
impulsive behavior. The results show that as emotional de-
pendency increases, parental permissiveness, childhood
trauma and impulsivity will also increase. These results are in
line with previous studies where emotional dependence has
been positively related to parental permissiveness and child
traumatism (Momeñe & Estévez, accepted in the publica-
tion), thus situating their origin on occasion in the emotional
or physical abuse received by attachment figures during
childhood (Moral & Sirvent, 2009). Regarding the relation-
ship between emotional dependence and impulsivity, previ-
ous studies point to deficits in impulse control in people
with emotional dependence (Villegas & Sánchez, 2013) and
difficulties in emotional regulation (Momeñe et al., 2017).
In this study, impulsivity reflects relationships in the pos-
itive sense of avoiding being alone, asymmetric relationship,
need to please, parental permissiveness and childhood trau-
ma. These results coincide with previous studies where it is
proved how the lack of care and the absence of contact with
attachment figures in childhood predisposes to the devel-
opment of impulsive behaviors (Barroso, 2014). In this vein,
in a study conducted by Patock-Peckham & Morgan-
Lithuania (2006), they found that the permissive parenting
style, on a same-sex parent, was linked to high levels of im-
pulsivity. Likewise, one of the novel results was found in the
relationship between unplanned impulsivity and security,
family concern, parental interference and parental authority,
being this relationship in a negative sense, as well as the rela-
tionship between motor impulsivity and the need for exclu-
sivity and self-sufficiency and resentment against parents,
being in this case, a relationship in a positive sense.
Secondly, the predictive role of attachment and impul-
sive behavior on emotional dependence is analyzed. The re-
sults of this study indicate that parental permission, self-
sufficiency and resentment against parents, and childhood
trauma predict emotional dependence. These results would
go along the lines of previous studies where it is pointed out
how emotionally dependent people experienced in their
childhood by their attachment figures absence of boosters,
aggression (Castelló, 2005) and unsatisfied emotional needs
(Barroso, 2014).
Thirdly, the relationship between attachment and impul-
sive behavior is studied, being this relationship mediated by
emotional dependence. The results obtained show how
emotional dependence acts as a mediator in the relationship
between security and impulsivity, parental authority and im-
pulsivity, parental permission and impulsivity, self-
sufficiency and resentment against parents and impulsivity,
childhood trauma and impulsivity. These results could be
explained by the fact that emotional dependence has been
linked to affective deficits in childhood (Castelló, 2012), as
well as impulsive behavior, with previous studies mentioning
how impulsivity levels vary depending on the parenting style
received by attachment figures (Chapple & Johnson, 2007)
and how low self-control would be the result of attachment
disruptions during childhood (Hayslett-Mccall & Bernard,
2002). Because of this, these are novel results in mentioning
emotional dependence as a mediating variable in the rela-
tionship between attachment and impulsivity.
Finally, the differences in the mean differences of emo-
tional dependence, attachment and impulsive behavior ac-
cording to sex are analyzed. It should be noted that men
scored significantly higher in avoiding being alone, need to
please, asymmetric relationship, emotional dependence,
cognitive impulsivity and unplanned impulsivity, while
women scored significantly higher in safety, family concern
and parental authority. These results are consistent with re-
cent studies where they have found a greater number of
emotionally dependent men to their partners (Urbiola &
Estévez, 2015), which carry with them aspects related to re-
jection of loneliness, the need to please and the asymmetric
relationship (Castelló, 2005). Similarly, previous studies have
found a greater number of impulsive men (Sauceda-García,
Lara-Muñoz & Fócil-Márquez, 2006), despite this, it is men-
tioned how impulsivity varies according to age, with the ado-
lescent stage being the highest rate of impulsive men report-
ing, while at later ages such differences between men and
women would decrease (Escorial & Navas, 2006).
This study is not without limitations. On the one hand,
the design of the study is transversal, making it impossible to
establish causal relationships. In this respect, longitudinal
studies could help to obtain such information. On the other

444 Ana Estévez et al.
anales de psicología / annals of psychology, 2018, vol. 34, nº 3 (october)
hand, people who suffer from emotional dependency show
difficulties in recognizing the problem, which may be due to
the social acceptance of the thoughts and manifestations
that surround it (Cogswell, Alloy, Karpinski & Grant, 2010).
In addition, it is a sample composed solely of adolescents.
In conclusion, due to the scarce research on the relation-
ship between attachment and impulsive behavior, as well as
the mediating role of emotional dependence in this relation-
ship, this study provides novel and highly clinical results for
the intervention and treatment of emotional dependence and
impulsivity. Among many other aspects, it should be noted
that parental permissiveness may be related to more impul-
sive relationships based on emotional dependence on ado-
lescents. Attachment in childhood may be an important fac-
tor for the development of impulsive behaviors in adoles-
cence, such as emotional dependence, which is closely linked
to the establishment of problematic relationships.
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