Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of self-esteem, parental attachment, likelihood of parental alcoholism, acculturation, and ethnic background, to codependency. Method. This study examined the relationship of codependency to self-esteem, parental attachment, and likelihood of parental alcoholism, among Mexican American and European American college women. Additionally, acculturation was examined as a predictor among the Mexican American women. The sample included 245 women altogether, where 173 were Mexican American and 72 were European American. The participants' age ranged from 18 to 25, with the mean age of 20 years. The participants completed a demographic information sheet, The Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale (Fischer, Spann, & Crawford, 1991), The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (Jones, 1983), The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire (Rosenberg, 1965), and The Inventory of Parent Attachment (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987). The Mexican American women also completed The Acculturation Rating Scale For Mexican Americans-II (Cuellar, Arnold, and Maldonado, 1995). Results. The results indicated similar findings in the two samples. In both samples higher attachment and higher self-esteem were independent predictors of lower codependency. However, contrary to expectation, likelihood of parental alcoholism was not a predictor of codependency in either sample, and acculturation was not a predictor of codependency in the Mexican American sample.