SUMMARY
The objective of this research is to establish the relationship between depression and emotional dependence towards the couple in inmates of two prisons in Metropolitan Lima. The type of research used was descriptive correlational, with no experimental design. The sample consisted of 554 primary inmates of both sexes, using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the Anicama Emotional Dependence Scale (ACCA) to estimate the study variables. The results show that almost half of the inmates (49.4%) have levels of moderate to severe depressive symptomatology; in terms of emotional dependence, 30% of the mimes are located in the dependent and emotionally dependent categories. In relation to the comparative results, significant differences were found in the depression and the presence or not of partner and children, the marital status, judicial situation and the type of crime committed; whereas emotional dependence is differentiated according to sex, relationship of couple, marital status, presence of children and type of crime. Finally, a low positive relationship was found between depression and emotional dependence, at a very significant level (p<0.001), also positive correlation was found in 8 dimensions of the 9 of emotionaldependence with depression, except for the anxiety area of separation, in all cases at a very significant level (p <0.001).