Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies and Marital Communication Patterns in Men with Avoidant Attachment: Investigating the Mediating Role of Caregiving Styles

Abstract

This study examined the factors that influence marital communication patterns of men with avoidant attachment. A number of 420 married men with avoidant attachment were selected via availability sampling from among men who visited counseling centers in Isfahan, Iran due to marital issues during the years 2021–2022. The results indicated that sensitive caregiving style mediated the relationship between adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and mutual avoidance communication pattern, while controlling and proximate styles mediated the relationship between adaptive strategies and mutual constructive communication pattern. Controlling style mediated the relationship between maladaptive strategies and the demand/withdrawal communication pattern, and proximate, sensitive, and controlling caregiving styles mediated the links between adaptive strategies and the demand/withdrawal communication pattern. Family therapists are recommended to consider cognitive emotion regulation strategies as well as caregiving styles to treat marital issues.