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Normal and obsessional jealousy: a study of a population of young adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Donatella Marazziti ,
Elena Di Nasso ,
Irene Masala ,
Stefano Baroni ,
Marianna Abelli ,
Francesco Mengali ,
Francesco Mungai  and
Paola Rucci
Donatella Marazziti*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, via Roma, 67, 56100Pisa, Italy
Elena Di Nasso
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, via Roma, 67, 56100Pisa, Italy
Irene Masala
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, via Roma, 67, 56100Pisa, Italy
Stefano Baroni
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, via Roma, 67, 56100Pisa, Italy
Marianna Abelli
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, via Roma, 67, 56100Pisa, Italy
Francesco Mengali
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, via Roma, 67, 56100Pisa, Italy
Francesco Mungai
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, via Roma, 67, 56100Pisa, Italy
*
*E-mail address: dmarazzi@psico.med.unipi.it
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Abstract

Background

Jealousy is a heterogenous emotion ranging from normality to pathology. Several problems still exist in the distinction between normal and pathological jealousy.

Aim of the study

With the present study, we aimed to contribute to the definition of the boundary between obsessional and normal jealousy by means of a specific self-report questionnaire developed by us.

Methods

The questionnaire called “Questionnaire on the Affective Relationships” (QAR) and consisting of 30 items, was administered to 400 university students of both sexes and to 14 outpatients affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) whose main obsession was jealousy. The total scores and single items were analysed and compared.

Results

Two hundred and forty-five, approximately 61% of the questionnaires, were returned. The statistical analyses showed that patients with OCD had higher total scores than healthy subjects; in addition, it was possible to identify an intermediate group of subjects, corresponding to 10% of the total, who were concerned by jealousy thoughts around the partner, but at a lower degree than patients, and that we called “healthy jealous subjects” because they had no other psychopathological trait. Significant differences were also observed for single items in the three groups.

Conclusions

Our study showed that 10% of a population of university students, albeit normal, have jealousy thoughts around the partner, as emerged by the specific questionnaire developed by us. This instrument permitted to clearly distinguish these subjects from patients with OCD and healthy subjects with no jealousy concern.

Keywords

JealousyObsessive-compulsive disorderHealthy conditionsQuestionnaire on the affective relationshipsDimensions
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , May 2003 , pp. 106 - 111
Copyright
Copyright © Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS 2003

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