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International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 3/2021

Open Access 01-06-2021 | Addiction | Original Article

The Love Addiction Inventory: Preliminary Findings of the Development Process and Psychometric Characteristics

Authors: Sebastiano Costa, Nadia Barberis, Mark D. Griffiths, Loredana Benedetto, Massimo Ingrassia

Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction | Issue 3/2021

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Abstract

Although the existence of dysfunctional love relationships is well known and the term “love addiction” dates back to the 1970s, empirical studies on this topic are still limited. The biggest problem is arguably is the lack of a clear definition of the love addiction construct and the lack of psychometric instruments for the assessment of its symptoms. The aim of the present study was to develop and examine the psychometric characteristics of a self-report scale assessing love addiction using the components model of behavioral addiction. Two studies based on the splitting of a total sample of 663 participants involved in an intimate relationship (for at least for 6 months) were recruited to examine the psychometric characteristics of the newly developed love addiction scale and its six-item short-form. In the first study, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted with a sample of 329 participants. In the second study, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) approach was used with a sample of 334 participants engaged in a romantic relationship. In both studies, reliability and concurrent validity were also examined. Results suggested that the factor structure of the Love Addiction Inventory and its six-item short-form is in line with the theoretical framework and showed good reliability and concurrent validity. The LAI in both short and longer forms are psychometrically robust and can be used to assess love addiction in future studies.
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Metadata
Title
The Love Addiction Inventory: Preliminary Findings of the Development Process and Psychometric Characteristics
Authors
Sebastiano Costa
Nadia Barberis
Mark D. Griffiths
Loredana Benedetto
Massimo Ingrassia
Publication date
01-06-2021
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction / Issue 3/2021
Print ISSN: 1557-1874
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1882
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00097-y

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