Abstract

This study was conducted to classify 601 Korean adults into latent classes according to their love types and identify the differences in depression and find variables that affect the latent classes classification. As a result of the latent class analysis, the latent group for love types of Korean adults were classified into the L-H (7.7%) group, which showed the highest level of all three factors of intimacy, passion, and commitment, and the L-MH (33.6%) group, which all three factors were higher than the average, the L-M (39.8%) group with the mean of all three factors, the L-ML (14.6%) group with all three factors lower than the mean, and the L-L (4.3%) group with the lowest all three factors. Also, as a result of ANOVA, the L-MH group was psychologically healthier and more adaptive than the L-ML group. As a result of multinomial logistic analysis, females were more likely to belong to L-M, L-ML and L-L groups than males. In addition, singles were more likely to belong to the L-M and L-ML groups than those who were married. Also, the higher the anxiety attachment level, the higher the likelihood of belonging to the L-M, L-ML, and L-L groups than the L-H and L-MH groups, the L-ML and L-L groups than the L-M groups, and the L-L group rather than the L-ML groups. However, age, neuroticism, and emotional regulation did not affect the classification of latent classes. This study is meaningful in that it identified the various latent classes for the love types of Korean adults more three-dimensionally and suggested the possibility of differential interventions according to the characteristics of each group.