Codependency Test: See Your Caretaking, Boundary and Self-Worth Patterns
This codependency quiz explores over-caretaking, approval-based self-worth, and boundary struggles using original questions informed by established frameworks. Get an instant result for self-reflection.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
Codependency Test is a free, confidential 16-question self-assessment, based on established codependency frameworks. It takes about 8 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
Four patterns of codependency, not a label
Codependency is not a flaw in your character. It is a learned set of patterns, often shaped early in life, where caring for others quietly crowds out caring for yourself. This assessment looks at four of those patterns together.
Caretaking patterns
How much you focus on rescuing, fixing, or over-helping others, often at your own expense and beyond what is healthy. These four items open the test's first part.
Self-worth & boundaries
Whether your sense of worth depends on others' approval, and how hard it is to set limits, say no, or tolerate someone being upset with you. This spans items from both parts of the test.
Your own needs
How often your needs, feelings, and goals get pushed aside, lost, or treated as less important than everyone else's, including how blurry the line between your feelings and someone else's has become.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Covers caretaking and boundaries | Partly | Yes, both |
| Measures self-worth tied to others | No | Yes |
| Includes denial of own needs | No | Yes |
| Compassionate, non-shaming framing | Often blaming | Yes |
| Clinician-reviewed interpretation | Rarely | Yes, clinician reviewed |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–64 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–21 | Few codependent patterns | Your answers suggest few codependent patterns. You seem able to care for others while keeping a healthy connection to your own needs. |
| 22–42 | Some codependent patterns | Your answers suggest some codependent patterns. You may give more than you get and find your own needs slipping down the list. This is common and very workable. |
| 43–64 | Many codependent patterns | Your answers suggest strong codependent patterns. Caring for others may be coming at a real cost to you. Please be gentle with yourself; this is learned, and it is very workable. |
How the codependency test is scored
This Codependency Test describes relationship patterns rather than identifying a mental health condition. The test has 16 statements split into two parts of 8 items each, and every item is rated from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Part 1 covers caretaking and self-worth; part 2 covers boundaries and your own needs. Your total codependency score adds all 16 items for a range of 0 to 64, and the breakdown splits that same total into four patterns, caretaking, self-worth, boundaries, and own needs, each scored out of 16.
There is no pass or fail line. The bands, few, some, and many codependent patterns, describe how strongly these patterns showed up in your answers, not a diagnosis. It is common to score high in one pattern, boundaries for instance, while scoring low in another.
This questionnaire has not been validated as the Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale or the Composite Codependency Scale. Its descriptive bands do not estimate the likelihood of a condition or establish how you compare with other adults. Use a result to identify situations you want to discuss, and consider whether the same pattern appears across relationships or mainly in a particular setting.
Codependency vs people-pleasing and attachment style
Codependency, people-pleasing, and attachment style overlap but are not identical. The People-Pleasing (Fawn Response) Test focuses specifically on the fawn response, saying yes to avoid conflict or disapproval, while this test looks more broadly at caretaking, self-worth, and losing touch with your own needs across relationships. The Attachment Style Test looks further back, at the relational blueprint, anxious, avoidant, secure, or disorganized, that often underlies both patterns.
If your codependency result stands out, taking the Attachment Style Test or the Trust Issues Test can add useful context about where these patterns come from and how they show up with the people closest to you. None of these results diagnose anything; they each describe one angle on how you relate to others.
Building healthier boundaries after the test
Boundaries are a practical skill, not a personality trait, and they improve with small, repeated practice. The Setting Boundaries tool breaks that practice into concrete steps, and the Healthy vs Unhealthy Relationships tool can help you compare specific relationships against a clearer standard of what mutual give and take looks like.
If these patterns are affecting your relationships, your work, or your own wellbeing, a therapist experienced in relational patterns can help you unpack where they started and practice new ones. The Psychology.com therapist directory lets you search for a relationship-focused therapist for free, without an account.
Before agreeing to a request, consider what you can offer without giving up a necessary commitment to yourself. A practice response might be: I can listen this evening, but I cannot make that decision for you. Choose a situation where it feels safe to express a preference, and notice what you felt, what you said, and how the other person responded.
The Psychology.com tests hub offers related self-assessments. The Boundaries Test can help you reflect more specifically on setting limits if that part of your result deserves attention.
Signs of Codependency in Everyday Life
Codependent patterns often look like small, everyday moments rather than one big event. Saying yes to plans you dread because turning someone down feels unbearable. Checking your partner's mood the moment you walk in the door before checking your own. Feeling proud of how much you do for others, then quietly resentful that no one seems to notice. Struggling to enjoy a night off because someone else might need you.
None of these moments alone means much. What points toward codependency is the pattern repeating across many relationships, at work, with family, with friends, with a partner, and the sense that your own preferences have gone quiet under everyone else's. If several of these sound familiar, the breakdown above can show you which pattern, caretaking, self-worth, boundaries, or your own needs, is carrying the most weight for you right now.
Consider your responsibilities and circumstances before labeling yourself. Providing substantial care during illness, sharing resources with family, or depending on someone for practical help does not by itself establish codependency. Ask whether your needs can be discussed, whether care is freely chosen, and whether you can disagree safely. Your answers can help frame a conversation about support without turning generosity or dependence into a fault.
Methodology & sources
The items in this test draw on widely used descriptions of codependency, including Melody Beattie's foundational work Codependent No More (1986), which popularized the concept, and on themes from codependency-assessment research such as the Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale, which measures focus on others, self-sacrifice, difficulty with boundaries, and suppression of one's own needs. The questions are written for readability and reflection rather than reproducing any single proprietary scale.
This is an educational screener, not a diagnostic tool. Codependency is not a formal diagnosis in the major manuals; it is a useful descriptive concept for a cluster of relationship patterns. Those patterns are learned, frequently in families where someone struggled with addiction, illness, or emotional unavailability, and they are very workable. The result is meant to encourage gentle self-reflection and to help you decide whether working with a therapist could help you build healthier, more balanced relationships.
A 2012 revision of codependency measurement identified components of self-sacrifice, interpersonal control, and emotional suppression in the Composite Codependency Scale (Marks et al., 2012). Qualitative interviews with people who identify as codependent describe the lived experience behind those components: a near-constant vigilance to other people's moods, and a fear of being seen as selfish if their own needs surface (Bacon et al., 2020). This test's four patterns are written to reflect that same territory in plain language. Those research components are not the same as this page's educational categories, and validation findings for that scale do not transfer to these original questions.
References
- Beattie M. Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself. Center City, MN: Hazelden; 1986.
- Fischer JL, Spann L, Crawford D. Measuring codependency. Alcohol Treat Q. 1991;8(1):87-100.
- Marks ADG, Blore RL, Hine DW, Dear GE. Development and validation of a revised measure of codependency. Aust J Psychol. 2012;64(3):119-127.
- Bacon I, McKay E, Reynolds F, McIntyre A. The lived experience of codependency: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Int J Ment Health Addict. 2020;18:754-771.
- Marks ADG, Blore RL, Hine DW, Dear GE. Development and validation of a revised measure of codependency. Full article. doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1742-9536.2011.00034.x
- Bacon I, McKay E, Reynolds F, McIntyre A. The lived experience of codependency: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Full article. link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-018-9983-8
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 16). Codependency Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/codependency
Codependency Test FAQ
What is codependency?
Codependency describes a pattern where you become so focused on other people's needs, feelings, and approval that you lose touch with your own. It often shows up as over-caretaking, difficulty with boundaries, a sense of worth that depends on being needed, and putting yourself last. It is common in relationships affected by addiction, illness, or emotional unavailability.
Is codependency a mental-health diagnosis?
No. Codependency is not a formal diagnosis in the diagnostic manuals. It is a descriptive concept for a cluster of relationship patterns. That does not make it any less real or worth addressing; it simply means the goal is understanding and change rather than a label.
Where does codependency come from?
It is usually learned, often early in life. Many people develop these patterns growing up in homes where a caregiver struggled with addiction, mental illness, or emotional unavailability, and where being helpful or invisible felt safest. Because it is learned, it can also be unlearned.
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It is an educational screening for self-reflection only. It is informed by established codependency frameworks but cannot diagnose anything. Only a licensed professional can explore these patterns with you in depth. The result cannot identify the cause of a relationship difficulty or determine whether a relationship is safe.
Can codependency change?
Yes, very much so. With awareness, support, and practice, people learn to set boundaries, reconnect with their own needs, and build relationships that feel mutual rather than one-sided. A therapist or support group may offer a place to discuss these patterns and practice changes. This questionnaire cannot predict which approach will help you or how quickly change may happen.
Is codependency the same as people-pleasing?
They overlap but are not identical. People-pleasing usually describes saying yes and avoiding conflict to keep others happy. Codependency is broader: it includes people-pleasing, but also over-caretaking, tying your self-worth to being needed, and losing track of your own needs across relationships. If the fawn response is your main concern, the People-Pleasing Test may fit more precisely.
Related tests
People-Pleasing (Fawn Response) Test
Explore people-pleasing and the fawn response: saying yes too much and losing yourself.
Parenting Style Quiz
Based on Baumrind's framework. See your mix of warmth and structure across four parenting styles.
Am I Toxic Quiz
Reflect on your own relationship behaviors and choose specific changes without an identity label.