title: Revisiting the issue of co-dependency in nursing: caring or caretaking?
abstract: It is purported in the literature that individuals who demonstrate co-dependent traits (consistently taking responsibility for others to the point of neglecting onself) enter the nursing profession to fulfill  pathological needs and that nursing encourages co-dependent behaviour through its focus on "caring." This study was undertaken to determine whether nursing students have higher co-dependency scores than students in other programs. Data were collected through a questionnaire. A continuum-based Co-dependency Index was constructed with a Caring and Caretaking Sub-index to allow for more accurate measurement of co-dependency traits. In contrast to results reported in the literature, one-tailed testing indicated no significant relationship between co-dependency and university program. The results of this study suggest the need for a continuum approach to measuring co-dependency, to ensure that the presence of caring behaviours in measurement tools do not create a bias against nursing, a profession based on caring.
authors.affiliation: Halifax Regional School Board, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Laurie Michelle
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: Winston
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017004:Codependency, Psychological; D004645:Empathy; D006801:Humans; D009674:Nova Scotia; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*