Development and Validation of the Limerence Questionnaire (LQ-11)

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Limerence is a debilitating, obsessive attachment causing negative outcomes.
• Existing measures to assess limerence are lacking.
• A validated instrument is needed for research and clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a short self-report measure for limerence.
• Introduce The Limerence Questionnaire-11 (LQ-11).

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted with participants experiencing limerence (N=269 and N=401).
• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) identified a two-factor structure.
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) confirmed the structure and assessed reliability and validity.

Main Results:

• EFA revealed two factors: 'Intense Need for Attachment' and 'Neglect to Self and Others'.
• CFA confirmed the two-factor structure with excellent internal reliability.
• The LQ-11 demonstrated good concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity.

Conclusions:

• The Limerence Questionnaire-11 (LQ-11) is a reliable and valid measure.
• LQ-11 is suitable for interpersonal research and clinical/therapeutic use.
• This questionnaire addresses the need for a standardized limerence assessment tool.