Received: 12 November 2016 Revised: 27 June 2017 Accepted: 22 August 2017 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.22550 REVIEW ARTICLE Unhealthy dependency in victims and perpetrators of child maltreatment: A meta-analytic review Fallon A. Kane Robert F. Bornstein Adelphi University Correspondence Robert F. Bornstein, PhD, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, 212 Blodgett Hall, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, 11530. Email: bornstein@adelphi.edu Abstract Objective Theoretical conceptualizations of interpersonal depen- dency and dependent personality disorder suggest that (a) high lev- els of dependency in parents may increase risk for perpetration of child abuse and neglect and (b) children who are victimized may show elevated levels of dependency later in life. This study used meta- analytic techniques to examine these hypothesized links. Method A systematic search of psychological and medical online databases revealed 14 published studies (21 effect sizes) examining the link between parental dependency and perpetration of abuse or neglect (overall N of perpetrators = 1,321), and 14 published studies (25 effect sizes) assessing dependency in victims of child abuse and neglect (overall N of victims = 38,265). Results The dependency–abuse effect size (d) for perpetrators col- lapsed across all moderating variables was 0.36, which is considered to be in the medium range. The dependency–victimization effect size (d) collapsed across all moderating variables was 0.29, also a medium effect size. Conclusion These results support and extend analyses of the rela- tionship between dependency and child maltreatment, and suggest that dependency may be both a precipitant of child maltreatment and consequence of victimization. Theoretical and clinical implica- tions are discussed, with suggestions for further research outlined. KEYWORDS child maltreatment, dependent personality disorder, interpersonal dependency, meta-analysis, victimization 1 INTRODUCTION Interpersonal dependency is one of the more misunderstood constructs in contemporary psychology and psychiatry. Dependent patients are frequently described by clinicians as passive, acquiescent, and compliant, and as Bornstein (2012) noted, they are likely to be near the top of most therapists’ lists of “easy to handle” patients. For decades the J. Clin. Psychol. 2017;1–16. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jclp c  2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1