Codependency Inventory

Abstract

The Codependency Inventory is an informal, self-report psychological scale developed to assess patterns of codependency, relational dysfunction, and emotional coping mechanisms within an individual’s life. The instrument is characterized by a series of checklist questions spanning 15 major domains, each contributing to a cumulative score that reflects the severity and breadth of codependent traits. The items delve into core characteristics such as the need for control over others, difficulty setting healthy boundaries, denial mechanisms, history of abuse or neglect, and engagement in compulsive or addictive behaviors.

While not a formally standardized psychometric tool found in major academic databases, this inventory is widely used in recovery and counseling settings as a preliminary screening tool for clients seeking help for relationship issues, addiction, and emotional regulation difficulties. It provides a quick, comprehensive overview of behavioral patterns linked to dysfunctional family of origin dynamics.

Keywords

Codependency, Self-Report Inventory, Relational Dysfunction, Caretaking, Boundaries, Control, Addictive Behaviors, Emotional Repression, Family of Origin.

Authors

Rich‎ard Matthew

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Codependency Inventory is to facilitate self-assessment and initial screening for traits associated with codependency. It is designed to help individuals identify specific patterns of behavior, thought, and relational choices that may be detrimental to their mental health and autonomy.

By covering a wide array of topics—from control issues and boundary setting to relationship choices and personal addictions—the scale aims to highlight the pervasive nature of codependent patterns, often serving as a starting point for therapeutic intervention or participation in recovery programs.

Construct

The instrument measures the psychological construct of codependency. This construct, often defined in the context of recovery literature, describes an excessive reliance on other people for approval, self-worth, and identity, coupled with an unhealthy preoccupation with controlling or caring for others’ problems (often at the expense of one’s own needs).

Key dimensions assessed by the inventory include: 1) Control and manipulation of self and others; 2) Difficulty with emotional expression and denial; 3) Failure to establish appropriate boundaries; 4) Engagement in destructive or abusive relationships; 5) Caretaking behaviors; and 6) Personal addictive behaviors used as coping mechanisms.

Validity

Formal academic validity studies (e.g., construct, concurrent, or predictive validity) for the Codependency Inventory by Richard Matthew are not readily available in peer-reviewed literature. As an informal inventory, its validity relies heavily on face validity—meaning the items appear, on the surface, to measure the behaviors commonly associated with codependency as defined in clinical and popular recovery frameworks.

Reliability

Information regarding the statistical reliability of the Codependency Inventory (such as internal consistency via Cronbach’s Alpha or test-retest reliability) is not provided in the source material and is generally not established for this type of informal self-assessment tool. Users should treat the results as suggestive indicators rather than definitive clinical measurements.

Factor Analysis

A formal factor analysis detailing the underlying structure or subscales of the Codependency Inventory has not been published or made available in the source documentation. The scale operates primarily as a single, cumulative checklist score, reflecting a generalized measure of codependent behaviors across various life domains (e.g., relationships, emotional health, addiction, and family of origin history).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Inventory / Checklist

Format: 15 major questions, many containing multiple sub-items (totaling over 70 individual points possible). Responses are binary (“Yes” or implied “No”).

Language Available: English (based on the source material)

Population Group: Clinical and General Adult Population

Age Group: Adults (Implied, due to questions referencing relationships, parenting, and career)

Population Details: Individuals seeking insight into relational dynamics, control issues, or patterns of codependency, often those involved in recovery programs.

Test Methodology: Respondents answer “Yes” or “No” to each statement or sub-item. One point is awarded for each “Yes” answer. The cumulative score indicates the extent of codependent traits and behaviors identified.

Keywords

Self-Help Tool, Psychometrics (unestablished), Relational Patterns, Emotional Health, Boundaries, Personal Inventory, Relationship Addiction, Abuse History.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Unavailable

Affiliation Email addresses: Unavailable

Correspondence Address: Unavailable (Author listed as Rich‎ard Matthew)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: Unknown (indicated as ‘????’ in the source).

Permissions and Fees: The scale appears to be shared freely for personal and clinical use, common for informal inventories developed in recovery contexts. No formal publication or copyright information is provided in the source material.

The original DOC file cited in the source content can be accessed here: http://addictions.rich‎ard_matthews.fastmail.fm/Codependency%20Inventory.doc

Reference’s

Matthew, R. (????). Codependency Inventory. Informal self-assessment tool. Retrieved from: http://addictions.rich‎ard_matthews.fastmail.fm/Codependency%20Inventory.doc

Items of the Codependency Inventory

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. When you get anxious, do you attempt to control the behavior or feelings of others?

2. Do you feel responsible for making sure the needs of others are met?

3. Do you put your own needs aside in an attempt to meet the needs of others?

4. Do you allow others to determine how you (one point each):

• Dress
• look physically
• think
• feel
• behave

5. Do you try to control how others (one point each):

• Dress
• look physically
• think
• feel
• behave

6. Do you have difficulty setting healthy boundaries in any of the following areas (one point each):

• touching or being touched
• giving or receiving sexual advances
• stating clearly your thoughts, beliefs, opinions
• blaming and/or being blamed for your feelings (“you make me feel…”)
• blaming and/or being blamed for your actions (“you made me do…”)
• blaming and/or being blamed for the actions of others (“it’s your fault that…”)

7. Do you get into relationships with people who (one point each):

• physically abuse you or your children
• emotionally abuse you or your children
• verbally abuse you or your children
• are chemically dependent (substance abusers)
• are emotionally unresponsive
• are physically unresponsive
• are sexually unresponsive
• are rage-a-holics so that you must walk on eggshells
• are perfectionists that you can never please
• are jealous and/or controlling of you or your time
• are emotionally immature
• are workaholics
• are sexually addicted, overly demanding, emotionally or sexually unfaithful

8. Do you find yourself (one point each):

• unable to remember much of your childhood
• dissociating or daydreaming when strong emotions are being expressed
• dissociating during sex
• minimizing your addictive behaviors
• minimizing your unhealthy relationships
• minimizing or denying your family of origin issues
• denying your own or your spouse’s addictive behaviors
• denying the unhealthy nature of your relationships
• denying the dysfunction in your family of origin
• denying that you have made the same mistakes as your parents

9. Do you have difficulty with healthy emotional expression, such as (one point each):

• tending to fly off the handle and dump anger on others
• tending to repress anger and/or cover it with a smile
• feeling embarrassed or ashamed about crying in front of others
• minimizing your feelings and talking yourself out of them
• experiencing depression
• experiencing panic attacks
• experiencing generalized anxiety
• feeling out of control emotionally
• feeling uncomfortable when others express strong emotions

10. Are you addicted to (one point each):

• alcohol
• street drugs
• prescription drugs
• food
• sugar
• caffeine
• tobacco
• spending
• sex
• romance
• relationships
• gambling
• chaos or drama

11. Has there been any of the following abuse in your family of origin or your previous relationships (one point each):

• overt sexual abuse with physical contact
• overt sexual abuse without physical contact (voyeurism, exhibitionism)
• verbal sexual abuse
• being “spousified” by either parent
• physical abuse
• emotional abuse
• social abuse (shaming you about your friends, keeping you isolated)
• physical neglect or abandonment
• emotional neglect or abandonment
• spiritual or religious abuse
• overprotection

12. Are you a caretaker, such as (one point each):

• doing more than your fair share of the work
• saying “yes” when you want to say “no”
• feeling compelled to help others solve their problems
• offering unsolicited advice, giving rapid fire solutions to others
• doing for others what they are quite able to do for themselves, and resenting it
• feeling attracted to needy people
• over-committing yourself and feeling pressured and overwhelmed
• feeling powerless to change these patterns
• feeling suicidal

13. Does your fear of abandonment have any of the following consequences (one point each):

• hold onto unhealthy relationships rather than risk being alone
• seek approval so the other person won’t leave
• lie rather than confront the truth
• become jealous when your spouse has outside interests
• engage in sexual acts that are uncomfortable for you
• compulsively diet, purge, or risk an eating disorder to look good
• get upset when your spouse, lover, children are late
• abandon or leave people before they can leave you
• have difficulty being without a relationship

14. Do you or your family have a large investment in looking good, such as (one point each):

• doing or not doing things because of what others might think
• achieving or performing more for approval than for personal satisfaction
• never expressing any strong emotions
• believing that what others think is more important than your own wants, needs, or feelings
• following the unspoken or spoken rule of “we don’t air our dirty laundry in public”

15. Were/are the following rules (spoken or not) enforced in your family (one point each):

• don’t speak (children should be seen and nor heard)
• don’t communicate directly (tell mom and she’ll tell dad)
• don’t express your anger or frustration (shame on you…you’re being disrespectful)
• don’t have needs (you’re selfish)
• don’t ask for what you want
• don’t be yourself
• don’t confront our behavior, don’t make waves
• don’t trust your intuition, don’t trust anyone

Instructions: Give yourself one point for each yes answer.