[Psychometric Validation of the German Version of the Care Dependency Questionnaire]

Psychometric validation of the German version of the CDQ to measure patients' perceived care dependency on their psychotherapists (CD).Using data from 5 prospective observational studies, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). We examined the psychometric properties of the CDQ and its correlations with other clinically relevant variables.Our EFA (n=376) revealed a factorial structure that differs from the initial version. Therefore, we propose the CDQ-R12 with 3 subscales of 4 items each. The CDQ-R12 is reliable (α.= 0.917), correlated positively with self-rated CD (r=0.242), symptom severity (r=0.481 and 0.395), therapeutic alliance (r=0.380) and interpersonal problems (r =0 .338), while it was negatively associated with social support (r=- 0.243) (p<0.01 each). Patients with borderline personality disorder showed a higher CDQ-R12 score than those with depressive disorder (r=0.13, p=0.013).The CDQ-R12 is suitable for investigating the influence of CD on the success of psychotherapy. Our study is of a pilot nature and the results need to be verified by further studies.