Men's Attachment Research Articles

Adult Attachment Questionnaire: evidence of validity in a sample of IPVAW offenders.

Adult attachment can be understood as a cognitive and emotional system concerning oneself and others, based on previous attachment experiences throughout life. This system automatically affects relationships with others. Because of its importance in the interpersonal domain, it has been studied on numerous occasions in research on intimate partner violence. The aim of this study was to obtain evidence of validity of the Adult Attachment Questionnaire (AAQ) in a sample of 331 men convicted of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW). The AAQ assesses adult attachment style in four dimensions that, together, yield four attachment categories. A psychometric analysis was performed, including reliability analysis and confirmatory factor analysis of the items, which ratified the factorial structure of the questionnaire. For a correct fit of the model, it was necessary to eliminate 4 of the items from the original scale. A latent profile analysis was also carried out, which identified four attachment styles: secure, preoccupied/anxious, avoidant/dismissing and fearful. Reliability indices were adequate. In general, the attachment profiles obtained ranges and means similar to those found in the general population study. The distribution of attachment styles was not equal: 50.57% of the participants presented secure attachment, 4.57% avoidant/dismissing attachment, 36.9% preoccupied/anxious, and 8.57% fearful. In conclusion, a valid and reliable instrument was determined based on the original AAQ scale to measure attachment in men convicted of IPVAW.

"We're in this together": Attachment insecurities, dyadic coping strategies, and relationship satisfaction in couples involved in medically assisted reproduction.

Attachment is an important predictor of relationship satisfaction and attachment insecurities are a risk factor for couples under stress. Drawing from the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation model, we investigated whether dyadic coping strategies (DCS)would explain the links between attachment insecurities and relationship satisfaction in 97 couples involved in medically assisted reproduction (MAR). Path analyses revealed that for women and men, attachment insecurities (anxiety, avoidance) were associated with their own lower relationship satisfaction through their lower use of positive DCS. Attachment avoidance was also associated with participants' own lower relationship satisfaction through their own lower use of negative DCS. Men's attachment avoidance was also related to their partner's lower relationship satisfaction via their own and their partner's lower use of positive DCS. The findings suggest that promoting the use of positive DCS may be important to preserve relationship satisfaction in couples involved in MAR.

Associations between romantic attachment and sexual satisfaction through intimacy and couple support among pregnant couples

IntroductionExpecting a first child is a challenging period for relationship partners, especially in regard to their sex life. In fact, sexual satisfaction can diminish for most pregnant couples. ObjectiveThis research aimed to explore the associations between attachment insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) and sexual satisfaction through relationship intimacy and partner support among both partners during pregnancy. MethodDuring the second trimester of pregnancy, 127 first-time parent couples completed online questionnaires assessing romantic attachment, sexual satisfaction, intimacy, and couple support. This study was cross-sectional. Path analyses based on the Actor-Partner Interdependance Model were conducted. ResultsResults revealed the presence of indirect associations between attachment avoidance, but not anxiety, and lower sexual satisfaction, via intimacy and couple support, in women and men. Men's attachment avoidance was also indirectly related to their pregnant partners’ lower sexual satisfaction through these variables. ConclusionThese results highlight the importance of relational processes, namely intimacy and support, in sexual satisfaction during a pregnancy.

Accuracy and bias in first impressions of attachment style from faces.

People gather important social information from subtle nonverbal cues. Given that one's attachment style can meaningfully affect the quality of one's relationships, we investigated whether people could perceive men's and women's attachment styles from photos of their neutral faces. In two studies, we measured targets' attachment styles then asked participants (total N=893) to judge the male and female targets' attachment anxiety and avoidance from photos of their neutral faces (total N=331) and to report their own attachment anxiety and avoidance. Participants detected men's attachment style from face photos significantly better than chance in an initial exploratory study and in a preregistered replication but did not consistently detect women's attachment style from their face photos. Moreover, participants' own attachment style biased these first impressions: Individuals with greater attachment anxiety viewed others as more anxiously attached. People can detect some hints of unacquainted others' attachment styles from their faces but their own anxious attachment can bias these judgments.

Aspects of the marital relationship that characterize secure and insecure attachment in men and women

Abstract The internalized attachment in childhood has consequences in the adult life, specifically in the marital life, which demands greater closeness, intimacy and interdependence. In this sense, it was analyzed whether the communication, marital adjustment, frequency, intensity and conflict resolution variables discriminate individuals with secure and insecure attachment in heterosexual relationships. It is a quantitative, descriptive and explanatory study. Data from 485 participants were collected in the south of Brazil through the following measures: Experience in Close Relationship, Marital Conflict Scale, Conflict Resolution Behavior Questionnaire, Communication Questionnaire and Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale. The results of the discriminant analysis indicated that the variables tested characterize secure or insecure attachment. Therefore, the type of attachment is a relevant resource in the assessment of individual and marital functioning. Psychotherapy interventions are discussed considering the relational bias of the attachment theory and the results observed in the scientific literature.

Attachment and coparenting representations in men during the transition to parenthood.

Coparenting is based on parents' representations of themselves as coparents. Attachment theory can be a useful framework to understand the way that different coparenting representations are developed during the transition to parenthood. This study aimed to analyze the association between men's attachment and coparenting representations at the first trimester of pregnancy and from the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months' postpartum. A sample of 86 men was recruited and completed self-report measures of attachment and coparenting representations at the first and third trimester of pregnancy and at 1 and 6 months' postpartum. At the first trimester of pregnancy, higher attachment avoidance was associated with higher lack of coparenting support. From the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months' postpartum, higher attachment avoidance was associated with (a) a steeper increase on lack of coparenting support, (b) an increase on coparenting conflict (while low attachment avoidance was associated with a decrease), and (c) a lower decrease on coparenting disagreement. This study may contribute to coparenting research by showing new evidence on attachment theory as a useful framework to understand how different coparenting representations are developed in men during the transition to parenthood.

Personal Ties and Prejudice: A Meta-Analysis of Romantic Attachment and Ambivalent Sexism.

We examine how relational needs underlie sexism by conducting a meta-analysis ( k = 22; N = 4,860) on the links between adults' romantic attachment and endorsement of ambivalent sexism. Results across two random-effects meta-analytic methods supported that men's and women's attachment anxiety predicted stronger endorsement of both benevolent sexism and hostile sexism. Simultaneously, men's attachment avoidance predicted lower endorsement of benevolent sexism, and for men in relationships (vs. single men), stronger endorsement of hostile sexism. Thus, the way that people fulfil their relational goals lead people to adopt particular attitudes about gender, supporting that relationships are one key source of people's adoption of sexism. These results bridge attachment theory and ambivalent sexism theory by illustrating how individual differences in the amplification or suppression of needs for relational security fuel adoption of beliefs that function to maintain gender inequality across the world.

What loyal women (and men) want: The role of gender and loyalty program characteristics in driving store loyalty

Despite the use of loyalty programs in the retail/service industry is now spread world-wide, marketing practitioners continue to debate whether loyalty programs increase store loyalty. This study aims to examine how two distinct features of a loyalty program namely: innovativeness and perceived advantages drive women's versus men's attachment to the program and loyalty to the store. Our findings show that the perceived advantages of the loyalty program will be more appealing to men, while female customers will more positively respond to the innovativeness of the program. Further, we show that the interaction between the characteristics of the program (i.e., perceived advantages and innovativeness) and gender affects store loyalty through the mediating role of emotional attachment.

I want her to want me: Sexual misperception as a function of heterosexual men's romantic attachment style

Heterosexual men consistently overperceive women's sexual interest. Past studies have related overperception to individual and situational factors such as alcohol intoxication, but nobody has yet investigated personality factors that may contribute to sexual misperception. The present research takes a first step in that direction by examining the relation between attachment style and sexual misperception. Two studies revealed that men's romantic attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted the extent to which men estimated the sexual interest of a hypothetical woman in a nightclub scenario. Mediation analyses suggest that this is due to both motivated social perception and cognitive bias. Specifically, men's attachment anxiety predicts increased desire for intimacy, which predicts their hope that a woman will be sexually interested; consequently, men imagine themselves as more flirtatious in the scenario, which biases them toward imagining the woman as more flirtatious, too. A similar process occurred for attachment avoidance, but in the opposite direction.

Out-of-Control Sexual Behavior as a Symptom of Insecure Attachment in Men

Out-of-control sexual behavior (OCSB) is often misunderstood. To gain a better understanding of its underlying dynamics, this study explored the relationships between insecure attachment and OCSB in men. Online surveys measured OCSB (Hypersexual Behavior Inventory [HBI]) and attachment style (Experiences in Close Relationships Short Form [ECR–S]) in 45 men who presented with OCSB and 32 men who did not. Multivariate analysis indicated that high ECR–S scores predicted high HBI scores and clinical determination of OCSB, which in turn predicted attachment-avoidant behavior. Avoidant behavior was a better predictor of OCSB than attachment anxiety, suggesting that OCSB might be a manifestation of avoidant attachment. Implications for practice are offered.

Attachment and Sexual Permissiveness

How does the psychology of attachment relate to sexual permissiveness? Do some attachment–sexuality links differ as a function of biological sex? Are attachment–sexuality links truly universal across cultures or are some localized to Western populations? Across 10 world regions ( N = 17,837), using multiple indicators of permissive sexuality, we attempted to replicate and extend recent work on these questions. Unrestricted sociosexuality was consistently linked to positive Models of Self in men but much less so among women. Self-reports of having an unfaithful sexual personality were linked to dismissing attachment in both men and women, though additional associations were observed with fearful attachment suggesting infidelity as a form of sexual permissiveness may be more closely associated with negative Models of Other. A measure of short-term mating interests was more strongly linked to dismissing attachment in men than in women. Engaging in short-term mate poaching (i.e., stealing another person’s partner for a brief affair) was linked with low overall attachment security in women but not in men. Many of the revealed associations between attachment and sexuality were relatively small in size, and some appeared to be localized to Westernized cultures.

The politics of gendered emotions: disrupting men's emotional investment in privilege

This paper explores the implications of the neglect of emotions in critical masculinity studies and profeminist masculinity politics. This neglect in part results from feminist and profeminist critiques of the literature on emotional inexpressiveness as a tragedy for men that ignores male privilege and men's social power. To focus on men's emotions is seen by some profeminist commentators as psychologising men at the expense of sociological understandings of men's social power. However, in neglecting the place of emotions in men's lives, critical masculinity studies has overlooked the ways in which men's emotional attachment to privilege can perpetuate oppressive gender relations and male violence against women. By exploring men's emotional investment in unequal gender relations, the article outlines ways in which emotions can also be used as a catalyst to disrupt men's attachment to male privilege.

Gay men and ambivalence about ‘gay community’: from gay community attachment to personal communities

The concept of ‘gay community’, and gay men's attachment to and involvement in gay community activities, has held both a symbolic and practical role in understanding and guiding responses to HIV in developed world contexts. In the West, the HIV epidemic has disproportionately affected gay men. Being involved in and connected to gay community activities (what, in Australia, is described as ‘gay community attachment’) predicted the adoption of safe sex practices. However, the meaning of gay community is changing. This presents a challenge to those working in HIV prevention. With reference to previous research, the meaning of gay community is analysed in qualitative interviews conducted with Australian gay men. The interview data indicate that gay men are often ambivalent about gay communities, suggesting a need for subtlety in the ways we think about and address gay men in HIV education and health promotion. The concept of ‘personal communities’ may better reflect the ways in which gay men engage with each other and their social networks. Recognising and responding to the changing nature of gay life will ensure that the flexibility and pragmatism of HIV programmes aimed at gay men are maintained.

Adult Couples Facing a Planned or an Unplanned Pregnancy

This study examined demographic, individual, and relational factors that differentiate adult couples facing an unplanned pregnancy carried to term from those facing a planned pregnancy. One hundred and eighteen couples expecting their first child completed, along with a demographic questionnaire, measures of personality, perceived stress, depression, attachment, and dyadic adjustment during the third trimester of the women’s pregnancy. Results showed that demographic risk factors for unplanned births included age, education level, annual income, length of relationship, and marital status. In addition, high levels of neuroticism, depression, and perceived stress, and low levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness were individual factors associated with unplanned pregnancies among pregnant women. Relational factors associated with unplanned pregnancies included low levels of secure attachment and high levels of anxious-ambivalent and avoidant attachment in men and women. The findings clearly suggest that the psychosocial environment of couples with unplanned pregnancies is problematic.

Men's Adjustment to Fatherhood: Implications for Obstetric Health Care

To assess factors affecting first-time fathers' transition to parenthood. A longitudinal repeated measures study in which participants were interviewed in mid-pregnancy and completed assessments in late pregnancy, in early postpartum, and at 4 months postpartum. SELLING AND PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred twenty-five first-time fathers were recruited from a major obstetric hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, from 1995 to 1998, via their partners. Men were seen separately from their spouses, and questionnaires assessing parity history, social support, marital satisfaction, anger, anxiety, and gender role stress were completed at each time. Prenatal and postnatal distress were measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Men's peak period of distress was at the first assessment in pregnancy, where there was an overrepresentation of younger men, who were employed part-time and in shorter relationships. For most of the men, their anxieties decreased steadily postpartum. Lower relationship satisfaction was associated with distress, as was gender role stress, both antenatally and postpartum. Distress was also seen to affect men's attachment to their infants. Although most men deal effectively with the transition to fatherhood, a small group of distressed men may have continued problems in their role as a parent and partner. If more attention can be paid to their anxieties antenatally, it might benefit the men, their partners, and their infants.

Gender-Role-Conflicted Men's Poor Parental Attachment and Separation/Individuation Difficulties: Knights without Armor in a Savage Land

This study reanalyzed an earlier study by Blazina & Watkins (2000), which focused upon gender role conflicted men's attachment to parents and their scores of separation/individuation. Study found that these men had poor attachment to parents and difficulties with separation/individuation issues. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed.