Preventing Relationship Conflict: Investigating How Social Cognition Mediates the Link Between Marital Satisfaction and Attachment Styles in Couples

BackgroundThe early relationships between infant and care takers are significant and the emotional interactions of these relationships play an important role in forming personality and adulthood relationships.ObjectivesThe current study aimed to investigate the relationship of attachment styles (AS) and emotional intelligence (EI) with marital satisfaction (MS).Materials and MethodsIn this cross-sectional research, 450 married people (226 male, 224 female) were selected using multistage sampling method in Mashhad, Iran, in 2011. Subjects completed the attachment styles questionnaire (ASQ), Bar-On emotional quotient inventory (EQ-i) and Enrich marital satisfaction questionnaire.ResultsThe results indicated that secure attachment style has positive significant relationship with marital satisfaction (r = 0.609, P < 0.001), also avoidant attachment style and ambivalent attachment style have negative significant relationship with marital satisfaction (r = -0.446, r = -0.564) (P < 0.001). Also, attachment styles can significantly predict marital satisfaction (P < 0.001). Therefore, emotional intelligence and its components have positive significant relationship with marital satisfaction; thus, emotional intelligence and intrapersonal, adaptability and general mood components can significantly predict marital satisfaction (P < 0.001). But, interpersonal and stress management components cannot significantly predict marital satisfaction (P > 0.05).ConclusionsAccording to the obtained results, attachment styles and emotional intelligence are the key factors in marital satisfaction that decrease marital disagreement and increase the positive interactions of the couples.

Infection with sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies are risks associated with adolescents’ risky sexual behavior. Mental models of attachment relationships influence behavior and may influence adolescents’ involvement in sexual activities that are risky. This study explored whether attachment styles predicted adolescents’ involvement in risky sexual behavior. A correlational study design was adopted with 367 students from public secondary schools in Nairobi County taking part in the study. The Attachment Styles Questionnaire and Risky Sexual Behavior Scale were used to collect data. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine whether secure, preoccupied, dismissing or fearful attachment styles predicted students’ risky sexual behavior. The study found that preoccupied attachment style and secure attachment style had predictive effects on risky sexual behavior. Preoccupied attachment style was predictive of greater involvement in risky sexual behavior whereas secure attachment style was predictive of less risky sexual behavior. It was evident based on the findings that secure attachment style was protective against risky sexual behavior whereas preoccupied attachment style created vulnerability to risky sexual behavior. It was recommended that special attention should be paid to adolescents with insecure attachment styles in guidance and counseling programs aimed at discouraging adolescents’ risky sexual behavior and parents/guardians should be encouraged to be more nurturing towards their children in order to encourage formation of secure attachment which was protective against risky sexual behavior. Keywords: attachment styles, attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, secure attachment, risky sexual behavior

Attachment style and men’s patterns of sports fan devotion

The study investigated the influence of attachment styles and gender on marital satisfaction. One hundred and fifty participants (73 males and 77females) were randomly selected from members of a Christian organization, Ewet Offot and indigenous residents of Nwaniba Road, Uyo. Two instruments used were the Love (2001) Attachment Style Survey and Hudson (1982) Index of Marital Satisfaction adapted by Anene (1994) for Nigerian use. A 2x2 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for unequal sample sizes was used for data analysis.Two hypotheses were tested. The first hypothesis predicted a statistically significant difference in marital satisfaction between participants with secure and insecure attachment styles while the second hypothesis made a similar prediction in respect of gender. The first finding showed a significant difference between participants with secure and insecure attachment styles on maritalsatisfaction [F(1,146) = 360.21, P.05]. The interaction effect of attachment styles and gender was however found to be significant [F(1,146) = 5.00, P

This study investigates how secure and insecure attachment styles influence decision-making under social contexts, focusing on the interplay between dispositional and situational factors. Attachment theory, as developed by John Bowlby, categorizes individuals into secure and insecure attachment styles, explaining the emotion regulation and interpersonal relationship patterns based off the early-development of individuals. This study tends to investigate the how different attachment styles interplay with social context on the aspect of decision making. It is hypothesized that individuals with secure attachment styles are more likely to exhibit stable and logical relationships when having interpersonal interactions. At the same time, insecurely attach individuals tend to focus on external factors, seeking validations or avoiding social interactions, leading to unstable relationships and illogical decision makings. Developing a combination of the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) Questionnaire and hypothetical decision-making scenarios, this study tends to examine behavioral patterns in response to various social pressures. Results are expected to demonstrate statistically significant difference between the attachment style groups on decision making.

Any married couple willing to have satisfaction in their marriage. However, not all couples could achievesatisfaction in their marriage. The quality of marriage was determined by three attachments style; secureattachment style, avoidant attachment style, and anxiety attachments style. This study aimed to investigate therelationship between attachment and marital satisfaction for early adulthood in Banda Aceh. This study used purposive sampling technique and selected 120 subjects (27 male and 93 female), mean of age 30.75 years old, mean of age marriage was 5-7 years, mean of children is 2. Data collected using ENRICH Marital Satisfaction (EMS) which developed by Fowers and Olson (15 statements, α= .962), and attachment scale (consist of 30items) compiled by researcher based on the theory of Hazan and Shaver (secure attachment α= .864, avoidant α= .877, anxiety α= .691). The results showed that there is a positive and significant correlation between secure attachment and marital satisfaction (rxy=.455; p =.000; p&lt; .001). The result also showed that there is a negative and significant correlation between insecure attachment and marital satisfaction (rxy avoidant = - .460 ; p= .000; p&lt; .001, rxy anxiety = - .231 ; p= .011; p&lt; .05). Among the three attachment, secure attachment style has the highest significant relationship with marital satisfaction. It meant that the higher score of secure attachment style obtained, the higher satisfaction obtained by these couples.

ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation between attachment styles and various burnout risk groups (“relaxed”, “wornout”, “challenged” and “burnout”) and whether attachment styles suitably discriminate between individual burnout risk groups.MethodThe study involved 2,320 participants (1,668 women and 652 men), who completed an adrenal burnout syndrome questionnaire, a performance-based self esteem scale, a work addiction risk test and a relationship questionnaire.ResultsA one-way analysis of variance confirmed attachment style differences between burnout risk groups. The challenged and burnout groups differed from the relaxed and wornout groups by having a significantly lower secure attachment style score and a higher insecure (avoidant and preoccupied) attachment style score. The canonical discriminant analysis showed that the predictors (secure, preoccupied and avoidant attachment styles) can be used to appropriately classify 85.4% of respondents in the predicted burnout risk groups.ConclusionThe study confirmed the hypothesis that two insecure attachment styles (i.e. avoidant and preoccupied) predominate in the challenged and burnout groups, and that a secure attachment style predominates in the relaxed and wornout groups. Burnout syndrome can thus be conceived as the result of excessive and compulsive efforts to retain a relationship that is perceived as insecure or to reduce (excessive) fear of losing this relationship.

PurposeThe primary aim of this study was to investigate the role of attachment styles as intermediaries in the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and parenting styles among Iranian women.MethodsData for this study was collected between September and December 2020. The participants consisted of 102 women who had been referred to Social Emergency Centers in Isfahan due to their experiences with domestic violence. Participants filled out the Haj-Yahia Violence Questionnaire, Baumrind Parenting Styles Questionnaire (BPSQ), and the Attachment Styles Questionnaire (AAQ). To examine the hypothesized relationships, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used.ResultsEconomic IPV victimization was negatively related to secure attachment (β = − 0.309, p = 0.019) and positively related with authoritative parenting (β = 0.422, p = 0.019) and avoidant attachment style (β = 0.563, p = 0.000). There was a significant, positive relationship between sexual IPV victimization with secure and avoidant attachment styles (β = 0.351, p = 0.011; β = 0.407, p = 0.000). Authoritative parenting style was related to avoidant attachment (β = − 0.524, p = 0.015) and secure attachment (β = 0.371, p = 0.000).ConclusionsIranian IPV victims with secure attachment style were more likely to utilize authoritative parenting and those who have avoidant attachment were less likely to use authoritative parenting. Attachment styles may influence the relationship between IPV and parenting styles in Iranian women who have experienced IPV.

We explored direct, mediated, and moderated associations between adult attachment style and marital satisfaction using a community‐based sample of 73 married women. Continuous ratings of secure, avoidant, and ambivalent attachment styles were related to levels of marital satisfaction. However, psychological distress mediated the association between secure attachment and marital satisfaction, and social support mediated the relation between avoidant attachment and marital satisfaction. In addition, psychological distress moderated the relation between both secure and avoidant attachment styles and marital satisfaction.

The present study aimed to predict marital satisfaction based on attachment styles and feelings of loneliness with the mediation of cognitive emotion regulation in married women. This research was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive correlational. The statistical population of this research consisted of all married women of Karaj City in the spring of 2024, and 270 of them were selected by the available sampling method. The research tools include ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (Fowers &amp; Olson, 1993); UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, 1996); Revised Adult Attachment Scale (Collins &amp; Read, 1990); Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski et al., 2001). The path analysis method was used to analyze the data. The results showed that marital satisfaction is predicted based on secure (P=0.001, Z=3.37), avoidant (P=0.001, Z=-3.12), and anxious (P=0.001, Z=-3.63) attachment styles. Z=3) by mediating adaptive strategies of cognitive emotion regulation in married women. Marital satisfaction is predicted based on secure (P=0.017, Z=2.37), avoidant (P=0.028, Z=-2.19), and anxious (P=0.017, Z=-2.36) attachment styles by the mediation of maladaptive strategies in married women. Marital satisfaction is predicted based on loneliness with the mediation of adaptive (P=0.020, Z=2.31) and maladaptive (P=0.017, Z=-2.36) cognitive emotion regulation strategies in married women.

Aim: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) in improving attachment styles and marital satisfaction of married women. Method: The present research was a semi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group with a three-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of women who visited counseling centers in Mazandaran province from May to July 2021. Forty-two women, who volunteered to participate in the research, answered the Collins and Read adult attachment Scale (RASS) (1990) and Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMS) (1987). After screening, 30 women were selected and randomly assigned to the experimental group of emotion-focused therapy (n=15) and the control group (n=15). The experimental group was subjected to Johnson's emotion-oriented intervention (2012) for eight 90-minute sessions, and the data were analyzed using repeated-measures mixed model analysis of variance. Results: The results indicated the effect of the emotion-focused intervention on secure attachment style (F=3.21, P= 0.042) with an effect size of 0.10, anxious attachment style (F=2.13, P=0.048) with an effect size of 0.06, avoidant attachment style (F=7.76, P=0.038) with an effect size of 0.14, and marital satisfaction (F=5.73, P=0.024), and this effect was stable at the follow-up stage. Conclusion: This intervention caused women in the experimental group to focus on their husbands' behavior and to stop the use of the above-mentioned communication barriers, and also increased their tolerance, and could improve their relationships and increase their resilience by learning the right communication program. Therefore, they were considered effective interventions to improve the insecure and anxious attachment style and marital satisfaction

Attachment styles, alexithymia, and fear of intimacy are considered to be detrimental to degree of satisfactionwithin the couples relationships. The present study aimed to investigate the moderating role of attachment styleson the relationship of alexithymia and fear of intimacy with marital satisfaction in a sample of Iranian students.Participants (313 males, 375 females) filled the Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI), the Farsi version of theToronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (FTAS-20), Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS), and the Golombok Rust Inventory ofMarital State Questionnaire (GRIMS). Secure attachment style showed a significant positive association withmarital satisfaction, while insecure attachment styles as well as fear of intimacy and alexithymia showedsignificant negative associations with marital satisfaction. The relationship between fear of intimacy and maritalsatisfaction was moderated by secure and avoidant attachment styles. The results revealed that only avoidantattachment style could moderate the relationship between alexithymia and marital satisfaction. Results of thepresent study suggest that the relationship of alexithymia and fear of intimacy with marital satisfaction is not asimple linear one. This is moderated in part by attachment styles. Hence, secure and insecure attachmentcharacteristics may have significant influence in marital relationship in opposite directions.

چکیده هدف پژوهش حاضر، بررسی رابطه بین سبک‌های دلبستگی ایمن ـ ناایمن با شناخت‌های ناکارآمد در دانشجویان بود. به منظور دستیابی به هدف پژوهش، 403 دانشجوی دانشگاه فردوسی مشهد به روش تصادفی خوشه‌ای چند مرحله‌ای به عنوان گروه نمونه انتخاب شدند و پرسشنامه سبک‌های دلبستگی کولینز و رید (1990)، با آلفای 80/0 و پرسشنامه مثلث شناختی بکام، لبر، واتکینز، بویر و کوک (1986)، با آلفای 81/0 برای نگرش به خود، 91/0 به دنیا و 93/0 نسبت به آینده، را تکمیل نمودند. نتایج ضریب همبستگی پیرسون و تحلیل همگنی نشان داد که بین سبک دلبستگی ناایمن ـ اضطرابی و مثلث شناختی منفی همبستگی و همگنی یا رابطه مثبت و بین سبک دلبستگی ایمن (وابسته، نزدیک) و مثلث شناختی منفی همبستگی و همگنی یا رابطه منفی وجود دارد. به علاوه، بین سبک‌های دلبستگی دختران و پسران دانشجو و نگرش آنها در کل و نسبت به خود تفاوت معنی‌داری مشاهده نشد، اما در نگرش نسبت به دنیا/ دیگران و آینده این تفاوت معنی‌دار بود. سبک دلبستگی ناایمن ـ اضطرابی با نگرش منفی نسبت به خود، دنیا/ دیگران و آینده، دارای همبستگی و همگنی مثبت و سبک دلبستگی ایمن با نگرش منفی نسبت به خود، دنیا/ و آینده دارای همبستگی و همگنی منفی است. از این‌رو، احتمال می‌رود سبک دلبستگی ایمن با شناخت‌های کارآمد و سبک دلبستگی ناایمن با شناخت‌های ناکارآمد رابطه داشته و به طبع آن بر روابط بین فردی، موفقیت تحصیلی، سلامت روان و کیفیت زندگی دانشجویان مؤثر باشد

BackgroundEmotion regulation, the process by which individuals manage and modify their emotional experiences, expressions, and responses to adaptively navigate and cope with various situations, plays a crucial role in daily life. Our study investigates the variations in emotion regulation strategies among individuals with different attachment styles (AS). Specifically, we examine how individuals with secure, anxious, avoidant, and fearful attachment styles effectively utilize cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression to regulate their emotions.MethodsA total of n = 98 adults were instructed to attend, reappraise, or suppress their emotions while viewing negative and neutral images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) in an experimental emotion regulation task. After completing the task, participants rated the valence and arousal elicited by the images. Attachment styles were measured using the ECR-12 questionnaire and then categorized into four AS.ResultsOur study revealed that individuals with secure AS (n = 39) effectively reduced displeasure through cognitive reappraisal but experienced levels of displeasure with expressive suppression. Anxious AS (n = 16) individuals successfully reduced displeasure using cognitive reappraisal but struggled to regulate arousal and effectively use expressive suppression. Avoidant AS (n = 24) individuals could reduce displeasure with both strategies but experienced high arousal during suppression attempts. Fearful AS (n = 19) individuals effectively regulated both displeasure and arousal using either strategy. However, Secure AS individuals showed superior reappraisal efficacy, significantly reducing arousal levels compared to the Fearful AS group. Both Secure and Avoidant AS groups experienced higher valence during reappraisal relative to a baseline, indicating a decrease in displeasure.ConclusionsIndividuals with different AS exhibit variations in the effectiveness of their use of emotion regulation strategies. Our findings reinforce the significance of AS in shaping emotion regulation processes and emphasize the need for tailored approaches to support individuals with different attachment orientations.

Background: Marriage is one of the main decisions that an individual make in their life. Marital satisfaction constitutes the main determinant of life. There are several factors which predict marital satisfaction among couple like their attachment styles, emotional stability and demographic variables. Objective: To assess attachment styles, emotional stability of married couples, to seek relationship between marital satisfaction with their attachment styles and emotional stability and to seek relationship of marital satisfaction with selected demographic variables. Material and Method: A descriptive research design including 50 married couples via purposive sampling. Tools used were- For Attachment styles -Adult attachment scale, For marital satisfaction-ENRICH marital satisfaction scale, For emotional stability-Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test . Analysis and interpretation was done through SPSS version 16.0. Result: The findings revealed that out of 50 subjects, maximum 80% had Secure attachment style, maximum 100% male and 98% females were emotionally stable and maximum 96% males and 94% females had moderate marital satisfaction. All attachment styles and emotional stability had non significant positive relationship with marital satisfaction. Regarding demographic variables all had non significant relationship with marital satisfaction except age and family income. Conclusion: The study concluded that majority of married couples had moderate marital satisfaction and attachment style and emotional stability are predictors of marital satisfaction among married couples.