Emotional autonomy and the separation process during adolescence

The aim of the present study was to investigate the internal structure of the Italian version of the EAS and analyse the relation between emotional autonomy and aloneness/loneliness during adolescence. The Italian versions of LLCA and the EAS were administered to 775 Italian adolescents aged between 13 and 19 years of age. Data confirmed the factorial structure proposed by Beyers, Goossens, Van Calster, and Duriez (2005) with two second higher-order factors (chi(2) (71) = 82.95; p = 0.157), even though the Detachment factor has shown low internal consistency. A relation between Separation factor and loneliness toward parents has also emerged. These findings have important implications for the detachment debate, identifying a possible indicator of the developmental process of disengagement from parents in the Separation factor.