high scores on unmitigated communion predicted higher levels of depression
10 years later. Because women are more likely than men to suffer from unmiti-gated communion, these findings suggest one reason for the higher rates of
depression found in women.
The problems associated with unmitigated communion are especially
evident when facing health issues (Helgeson & Fritz, 2000). People high in
unmitigated communion may neglect their own needs at a time when self-
attention is called for. Resting, eating well, attending rehabilitation sessionsand other steps necessary to improve their health may take a back seat to
taking care of the family. In one study, unmitigated communion was associ-
ated with poor psychological and physical health among women diagnosedwith breast cancer (Helgeson, 2003). In another investigation, women high
in unmitigated communion who were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis
ASSESSING YOUR OWN PERSONALITY
Unmitigated Communion
Indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each statement
using the following scale: 1 ¼Strongly disagree, 2 ¼Slightly disagree,
3¼Neither agree nor disagree, 4 ¼Slightly agree, 5 ¼Strongly agree.
1. I always place the needs of others above my own.
2. I never find myself getting overly involved in others ’
problems.
3. For me to be happy, I need others to be happy.
4. I worry about how other people get along without me when
I am not there.
5. I have great difficulty getting to sleep at night when other
people are upset.
6. It is impossible for me to satisfy my own needs when they
interfere with the needs of others.
7. I can ’t say no when someone asks me for help.
8. Even when exhausted, I will always help other people.
9. I often worry about others ’problems.
To determine your score, reverse the answer value for item # 2 (i.e., for thisitem only, 1 ¼5, 2¼4, 3¼3, 4¼2, 5¼1). Then add all nine answer
values together. The test creators found mean scores of 29.97 ( sd¼6.14)
for undergraduate women and 28.55 ( sd¼5.53) for undergraduate men.
The higher your score, the more you tend to subjugate your own needs tothe needs of other people.
Scale: Unmitigated Communion Scale
Source: Copyright © 1998 by the American Psychological Association. Reproduced with permis-
sion. Fritz, H. L., & Helgeson, V. S. (1998). Distinctions of unmitigated communion from commu-
nion: Self-neglect and overinvolvement with others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,
75, 121 –140. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.75.1.12. No further reproduction or distribution is permitted
without written permission from the American Psychological Association.Individual Differences in Gender-Role Behavior 385