“Perrotta Affective Dependence Questionnaire (PAD-Q)”: Development, regulation and validation of a psychometric instrument for the diagnosis of the affective dependence

Introduction: The construct of affective dependence is now considered a behavioural addiction, but the framework underlying the Perrotta Affective Dependence Model (PAD-M) considers it to be a manifested symptom of a specific psychopathological personality framework, and based on this theorization, the questionnaire (PAD-Q) was constructed to take into account the identification of 7 dysfunctional sub-styles related to the construct of affective dependence (neurotic, dependent, histrionic, masochist, borderline, covert narcissist and psychotic). Methods: Using the PAD-M, the population was selected to validate a new psychometric test, then compared with the Love Addiction Screening Test (LAST). Results: Statistical analysis showed that the psychometric test has a well-defined and stable construct (R = 0.999; p ≤ 0.001), with the variables well represented (R = 0.955; p ≤ 0.001) and positively correlated with another construct already validated (R = 0.961; p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: The Perrotta Affective Dependence Questionnaire (PAD-Q) is a valid, efficient, and effective psychometric tool to diagnose the clinically relevant condition of affective dependence to improve the structural and functional framing of the patient and the appropriate therapy to pursue.