How Emotion Regulation and Educational Attainment Shape Vulnerability to Love Addiction in a Romanian Sample

Abstract

This research aims to examine how difficulties in emotion regulation can predict love addiction. Another central objective of this study is to identify differences in love addiction across levels of educational attainment. The present study was conducted on a convenience sample of 302 participants aged between 18 and 64 years (M = 25.23, SD = 8.49). Participants completed a battery of instruments that included questionnaires assessing difficulties in emotion regulation, love addiction, along with a set of socio-demographic questions, including educational level. Our main findings indicated that difficulties in emotion regulation positively predict love addiction, and that individuals with higher educational attainment (i.e., postgraduate studies) exhibit lower levels of love addiction compared to individuals with lower levels of education. The present results contribute, from a theoretical standpoint, to the development of a deeper understanding of the concept of love addiction, a construct that has gained increasing attention in recent years. From a practical standpoint, the current findings may be particularly useful for psychotherapists who encounter issues related to romantic relationships and love addiction in their clinical practice. We also discuss a series of ethical recommendations regarding the study and treatment of love addiction in psychological research.