Partner Attachment Style Research Articles

Attachment Style and Emotional Regulation as Protective and Risk Factors in Mutual Dating Violence among Youngsters: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Violence in intimate partner relationships among young adults has become a global health problem given its prevalence and its negative effects on physical and psychological well-being. The severity of the problem has given rise to a large body of research that has attempted to find the variables associated with victimization in young couples (for example, attachment style, emotional regulation skills or empathy, among others). Moreover, traditionally, many of these investigations have only considered the point of view of female victims within a gender violence approach. However, in recent times, more and more evidence of the existence of mutual violence in young relationships has been found. These findings, combined with simplistic explanations of the phenomenon, have proven to be insufficient to prevent it. In this context, the main objective of this study was to investigate how some variables linked to dating violence interact with each other, modifying the mutual violence young people suffer and exercise. Considering this, different instruments were administered (the Experience in Close Relationships Scale (ECR-R); Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS-E); Basic Empathy Scale (BES); and Multidimensional Couple Violence Scale (EMVN)) to a sample of 557 young Chileans. The analysis of the results, based on the construction of a moderated mediation model, reveals that difficulties in emotional regulation are a predictor of violence in intimate partner relationships, whose direct and indirect effects on the violence exercised can be moderated by that partner's attachment style. The findings also reveal that there is no association between empathy and violence, and they highlight that both men and women are victims and aggressors at the same time. This demonstrate the need to consider prevention and intervention strategies aimed at both sexes, since intimate partner violence is mutual and reciprocal.

The relation between couple's infertility distress with their partner's attachment and coping styles

Context: One of the potential risk factors for marital problems in infertile couples is the difference in couple's attachment and coping style to the infertility problems. Aim: We amide to investigate the relation between couple's infertility distress with their partner's attachment and coping styles. Setting and Design: This observational-cross-sectional study was done on infertile couples that referred to the infertility center of Imam Khomeini hospital in Sari, Iran, 2016–2017. Materials and Methods: Data were collected using convenient sampling method from 120 infertile couples through sociodemographic questionnaire, Lazarus-Folkman coping strategy questionnaire, Collins and Read attachment strategy questionnaire (RAAS), and infertility-specific distress questionnaire (ISD). Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics that were used include frequency, means, and standard division and analytical statistics include one-way ANOVA, Independent sample T test, Chi-Square Test and Pearson Correlation Coefficient test were used. Results: The mean ISD score was obtained by husbands 42.50 ± 9.5, wives 42.55 ± 9.7 and couples 42.53±9.63. One-Way ANOVA test showed that the wives' infertility distress was correlated with their partners attachment style (p=0.004) while husbands' infertility distress wasn't correlated with their partners attachment style (p=0.485). Also, based on Pearson Correlation Coefficient test there is no correlation between the couple's infertility distress and their partner's coping strategy. Conclusions: The relationship of couples and their adjustment to infertility is influenced by their partner's attachment style and coping style. Therefore, identification of these patterns may help in identifying need and tailoring psychological interventions to infertile couples.

Romantic relationships in adults with ADHD: The effect of partner attachment style on relationship quality

Prior literature indicates that insecure attachment styles (i.e., anxious or avoidant) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) both have negative impacts on romantic relationships, but relatively little is known about how these factors interact among couples where one partner has ADHD and the other does not. One hundred and fifty-nine partners of adults with significant ADHD symptoms completed measures of their own attachment styles, their partner’s ADHD symptoms, and relationship quality. Anxious attachment was associated with lower romantic relationship quality, but avoidant attachment was associated with more positive relationship outcomes. Results also indicated that the negative effect of ADHD symptoms on romantic relationship quality may be exacerbated by a partner’s high level of anxious attachment. Though insecure attachment styles are generally thought to have a negative impact on romantic relationships, avoidant attachment was generally associated with more positive outcomes in this study. Several possible explanations based on theoretical support are included in the discussion along with clinical applications and future directions.

Imagery‐induced negative affect, social touch and frontal EEG power band activity

Social touch seems to modulate emotions, but its brain correlates are poorly understood. Here, we investigated if frontal power band activity in the electroencephalogram (EEG) during aversive mental imagery is modulated by social touch from one's romantic partner and a stranger. We observed the highest theta and beta power when imaging alone, next so when being touched by a stranger, with lowest theta and beta activity during holding hands with the loved one. Delta power was higher when being alone than with a stranger or a partner, with no difference between the two. Gamma power was highest during the stranger condition and lower both when being alone and with the partner, while alpha power did not change as a function of social touch. Theta power displayed a positive correlation with electrodermal activity supporting its relation to emotional arousal. Attachment style modulated the effect of touch on the EEG as only secure but not insecure partner bonding was associated with theta power reductions. Because theta power was sensitive to the experimental perturbations, mapped onto peripheral physiological arousal and reflected partner attachment style we suggest that frontal theta power might serve as anEEG derived bio-marker for social touch in emotionally significant dyads.

Depressive symptom contagion in the transition to parenthood: Interparental processes and the role of partner-related attachment.

How depressive symptoms unfold within a couple during the perinatal events of pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood is poorly understood. In this prospective study, we aim to investigate the reciprocal relation between maternal and paternal depressive symptomatology, specifically how symptoms in 1 partner relate to subsequent symptom level changes in the other partner throughout the perinatal period. Further, we aim to identify parents who are particularly vulnerable to the development of disruptive processes of negative mood states. Data were collected from 1,036 mothers and 878 fathers participating in the Little in Norway study from midpregnancy until 12 months postpartum. Depressive symptoms were assessed at 7 time points (4 prenatally) in both parents. Partner-related attachment was measured early in pregnancy. By using an autoregressive latent trajectory modeling approach, accounting for time invariant confounding, we found mothers' depressive symptoms late in pregnancy to predict elevated symptom levels in fathers 6 weeks after birth, with a small effect size. No other time-adjacent effects were observed among partners at other time points or with the opposite directionality. However, moderation analyses revealed that among parents characterized by insecure partner-attachment styles, additional cross-lagged pathways were evident during pregnancy and throughout the first year of parenthood. Clinicians need to be aware of fathers' vulnerability to symptom development in instances of maternal perinatal depressive states at the time around childbirth, and tailor preventive and treatment efforts to address both parents' needs. Further, particular attention should be directed to parents with heightened susceptibility to prolonged depression contagion processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Osećaj porodične koherentnosti i afektivna vezanost (porodična i partnerska) adolescenata

In accordance with the basic principles of Antonovsky's salutogenic model of health, this research examines the connection between the family sense of coherence as a central source of health and family and partner affective attachment, as a generalized sources of health. The aim of the research was to examine the relationship between family sense of coherence in adolescents with: family dimensions (avoidance and anxiety) and partner affective attachment models (model of the self and model of others). The research tasks were: to determine the differences in the intensity of the family sense of coherence relating to family and partner attachment styles (secure, avoidant, preoccupied and fearful); to determine differences in family dimensions (avoidance and anxiety) and partner affective attachment models (model of the self and model of others) relating to gender, age and place of residence of adolescents; to determine the intensity of family sense of coherence and distribution of family and partner attachment styles in adolescents. The study sample consisted of adolescents of both genders (n = 360, 15 to 24 years old, AS = 19.36; SD = 2.55) from Kosovo and Metohija and central Serbia. The survey used the following instruments: Scale for assessing family sense of coherence, Questionnaire for assessment of family affective attachment, Questionnaire for assessing partner affective attachments and Basic socio-demographic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient, T-test and Analysis of variance were used for data processing. The results of the research showed that adolescents with a secure family affective attachment style (low in anxiety and low in avoidance) and secure partner affective attachment model (positive model of the self and a positive model of others) have a stronger sense of family coherence. When it comes to differences in the intensity of the sense of family coherence in adolescents in relation to affective attachment styles, the survey results indicate that there are statistically significant differences in the intensity of the sense of family coherence in adolescents depending on the dominant family affective attachment style, but no difference when it comes to partner affective attachment. The results showed that the sense of family coherence is stronger in adolescents with secure family affective attachment style, compared with adolescents with avoidant and fearful family affective attachment style. It was found that the family sense of coherence is stronger in adolescents with preoccupied family affective attachment style, compared with adolescents with avoidant family affective attachment style. The research also determined differences in dimensions and models of affective attachment in relation to gender, age and place of residence. The obtained results show that: the male adolescents have more prominent avoid­ance (family attachment dimension) compared with the female adolescents; older adolescents (19 to 24 years old) have higher scores on the partner attachment models (on model of the self and others) compared with younger adolescents (15 to 19 years old); anxiety (family attachment dimension) is more prominent in younger adolescents and in adolescents from Kosovo and Metohija, compared with those from central Serbia. The results suggest that adolescents have adequate sources of health (they have a stronger sense of family coherence and predominance of the secure family and partner affective attachment style). The results confirm the hypothesis and are consistent with the results of some previous studies.

A longitudinal study of conflict in new parents: The role of attachment

AbstractIn this longitudinal study of the transition to parenthood, couples reported on their own conflict resolution tactics and their perceptions of their partners' tactics. Their reports were analyzed in terms of their own and their partners' attachment styles. The results showed that more anxious and more avoidant persons used less effective conflict resolution styles. They showed that both actor and partner attachment styles were related to conflict resolution tactics. They also showed that in some cases less avoidant and less anxious persons showed improvement over time, using fewer ineffective and more effective resolution tactics. More avoidant and more anxious individuals, in contrast, showed little improvement and in some cases even showed decline over time.

The Relationship of Negative Self-Schemas and Insecure Partner Attachment Styles With Anger Experience and Expression Among Male Batterers

The purpose of the study was to explore how negative self-schemas and partner attachments were related to the experience and expression of anger (i.e., trait anger, inward and outward expression of anger) in a sample of male batterers (n = 40) who participated in court-mandated group services. They completed the Experience in Close Relationships (ECR), the Young Schema Questionnaire-2 (YSQ-2), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2), and a demographic sheet. Male batterers who experienced pervasive anger (i.e., trait anger) tended to experience negative self-schemas associated with the Impaired Limits domain (respecting the rights of others, insufficient self-control, entitlement). Male batterers who tended to suppress their anger tended to feel avoidantly attached to their romantic partner and endorsed negative self-schemas associated with the Disconnection and Rejection domain (abandonment, emotional deprivation, defectiveness/shame). Implications for clinical practice with male offenders and future research are discussed.

With or without you: The impact of partner presence and attachment on exploration

Past research has examined the link of attachment anxiety and avoidance with exploration in adults, though results have been inconsistent and have relied primarily on self-reports. We hypothesized that the presence of the attachment figure (i.e., romantic partner) would play a critical moderating role on exploration duration and enjoyment. Eighty-six couples were randomly assigned to explore alone or with the partner in order to examine the moderating effect of partner presence on the effects of individuals' anxiety and avoidance as well as the partner's anxiety and avoidance. Consistent with hypotheses, there were significant two-way interactions of partner presence with anxiety, avoidance, and partner anxiety. When exploring alone, more (vs. less) anxious individuals spent less time exploring and felt less positive affect. When exploring with the partner, more (vs. less) avoidant individuals spent less time exploring and felt less positive affect. Individuals with more anxious partners felt more positive affect after exploring alone than with the partner, whereas individuals with more avoidant partners were not affected by the partner's presence. Above and beyond individuals' attachment style, partner presence and partner attachment style have implications for exploratory behavior.

A multi-modal approach to the study of attachment-related distress

The present study aimed at providing a comprehensive analysis of individual differences in the regulation of attachment distress as measured through different components of the emotional response, including neuroendocrine reactions, subjectively experienced affect, and proximity seeking behaviour. Emotional responses were measured before, during, and after the induction of attachment distress in a sample of couples. Analyses using multi-level modelling revealed that, in both men and women, attachment anxiety was related to physiological (i.e., cortisol) and subjective emotional distress responses, whereas attachment avoidance most consistently predicted subjective and behavioural responses to distress. In addition to one's own attachment style, partner's attachment style was also found to modulate emotional and behavioural responses to relational stress, in both couple members. Attachment style was also found to moderate the interrelations between emotional indices, revealing interesting information on the regulatory strategies underlying attachment anxiety and avoidance.

Erratum

Personal RelationshipsVolume 17, Issue 1 p. i-i Free Access Erratum This article corrects the following: A dyadic exploration of attachment and caregiving in long-term couples ABIGAIL MILLINGS, JUDI WALSH, Volume 16Issue 3Personal Relationships pages: 437-453 First Published online: September 30, 2009 First published: 03 March 2010 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01258.xAboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat In Millings & Walsh (2009), the following error published on page 453: Kane, H. S., Jaremka, L. M., Guichard, A. C., Ford, M. B., Collins, N. L., Feeney, B. C. (2008). Feeling supported and feeling satisfied: How one partner's attachment style predicts the other partner's relationship experiences. Journal of Social and PersonalRelationships, 24, 535–555. The year specified in the reference was incorrect and it should have read: Kane, H. S., Jaremka, L. M., Guichard, A. C., Ford, M. B., Collins, N. L., Feeney, B. C. (2007). Feeling supported and feeling satisfied: How one partner's attachment style predicts the other partner's relationship experiences. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 535–555. The Kane et al. in-text citations on pages 437, 439, and 449 also published with the incorrect 2008 date. These should all be 2007. Reference Millings, A., & Walsh, J. (2009). A dyadic exploration of attachment and caregiving in long-term couples. Personal Relationships, 16(3), 437– 453. Wiley Online LibraryWeb of Science®Google Scholar Volume17, Issue1March 2010Pages i-i ReferencesRelatedInformation

Attachment and Relational Satisfaction: The Mediating Effect of Emotional Communication

This study investigated associations among one partner's relational satisfaction and the other partner's style of attachment and emotional communication. Findings from a questionnaire study involving 581 couples showed that participants reported more relational satisfaction when their partners scored high in security and low in dismissiveness and preoccupation. These associations between one's relational satisfaction and the partner's attachment style were partially mediated by how the partner reported communicating emotions. Specifically, participants were less satisfied in relationships with preoccupied partners who reported expressing anger using destructive communication. Participants were less satisfied with dismissive partners who reported using detached emotional communication. Finally, participants were more satisfied with secure partners who reported using prosocial emotional communication. These findings suggest that the often-cited relationship between attachment and relational satisfaction is partially explained by emotional communication.

Feeling supported and feeling satisfied: How one partner's attachment style predicts the other partner's relationship experiences

This study explored the association between one partner's attachment style and the other partner's relationship experiences (N = 305 couples). It was hypothesized that individuals would be more satisfied in their relationship when their partners were more secure (lower in attachment avoidance and anxiety), and that this association would be mediated by perceived caregiving. Results indicated that men were less satisfied when their female partners were higher in attachment anxiety, whereas women were less satisfied when their male partners were higher in avoidance. Structural equation modeling revealed that these links were partially mediated by perceived caregiving; individuals who were involved with insecure partners were less satisfied in part because they perceived their partners to be less effective caregivers.

Identifying New Symptoms for Diagnosing ADHD in Adulthood

The current symptom list for ADHD in the DSM–IV (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) was developed on children and was only field tested using children (Lahey, Applegate, McBurnett, Biederman, Greenhill et al., 1994; Spitzer, Davies, & Barkley, 1989). The utility of extending that list to adults with ADHD is therefore an open question. This article addresses the important issue of whether or not better symptoms could be identified for the adult stage of this disorder than those 18 childhood symptoms currently represented in the DSM–IV.

The Role of Own and Perceived Partner Attachment in Relationship Aggression

This study explored the main and interactive effects of respondents'own attachment styles and their perception of the romantic partner's attachment style on expressed and received aggression in a sample of 161 male and female undergraduates who reported on a heterosexual romantic relationship. Overall, 52.8% reported expressing at least one act of aggression, and 39.1% reported sustaining such an act from their partner. Regression analyses indicated that describing (a) one's partner as more preoccupied, (b) self and partner as more preoccupied, and (c) self as secure and partner as dismissing predicted higher levels of expressed aggression. Higher levels of sustained aggression were associated with describing (a) self as more fearful and partner as more preoccupied, (b) partner as more preoccupied, and (c) partner as less fearful. These results suggest that interpersonal perception may play an important role in the level of relation-ship aggression reported to occur in romantic relationships.

Nonverbal involvement, expressiveness, and pleasantness as predicted by parental and partner attachment style

This work argues that individuals’ attachment styles combine with that of their partners’ to create approach and avoidance tendencies and ensuing nonverbal involvement style during interactions with their significant others. Specifically, while secures are expected to be moderately involved, expressive, and pleasant, preoccupieds are expected to be highly so, while avoidants are the least involved. In combination with partner style, however, dismissive avoidants paired with preoccupieds are expected to be the very least involved, while secures paired with secures are expected to be moderately involved, and preoccupieds paired with dismissive avoidants are expected to be the very most involved of all the romantic partners in the current investigation. Results support the contention that parental and partner attachment are both important in predicting approach and avoidance in that role‐reversed females paired with avoidant partners were less kinesically and vocally involved and less kinesically pleasant. Further, females with preoccupied partners reciprocated levels of involvement, in that they exhibited greater kinesic involvement, expressiveness, and pleasantness when interacting with their romantic partners. Additionally, role‐reversed females with more secure partners exhibited greater vocal expressiveness. Finally, and most consistent with current theorizing, role‐reversed males paired with preoccupied partners exhibited less kinesic involvement and pleasantness.

Adult attachment style and partner choice: Correlational and experimental findings

AbstractThree studies were conducted to assess the role of attachment style in partner selection using both correlational and experimental methods. Study 1 (n = 83 couples) assessed correlations between partner ratings on attachment‐style dimensions and the relations between own and partner attachment style and relationship satisfaction. In Study 2 (n = 226) and Study 3 (n = 146), participants who varied in terms of attachment style rated the desirability of potential partners who also differed in terms of attachment style. Results of all three studies generally suggested that individuals were most attracted to partners with similar attachment styles. For example, anxious individuals tended to be dating anxious partners in Study 1, and they preferred anxious partners over secure and avoidant partners in Studies 2 and 3 (combined data). Thus, not all individuals preferred secure partners. Second, unlike previous studies that looked primarily at partner correlations, there was no evidence of anxious/avoidant matching. In fact, anxious individuals seemed particularly averse to avoidant partners. Finally, ratings of parental caregiving styles (especially ratings of mothers) were associated with adult attachment dimensions and partner choices. For example, individuals who rated their mothers as more cold and ambivalent were less attracted to secure partners. Clinical and research implications are discussed.