Associations Between Attachment Style and Emotional Processes During Conflict in Young-Adult Dating Couples

• In Event: 2-006 - Attachment Styles: A Window Into Emotional Processes Across Development

Integrative Statement

Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1977) suggests that through early experiences with caregivers, adults form attachment styles that inform and direct emotions and behavior with significant others (Main, Kaplan, & Cassidy, 1985). In emerging adulthood the primary attachment figure changes and most of attachment-related needs are fulfilled by a romantic partner (Shaver & Hazan, 1988). Conflict activates the attachment system and increases individuals’ need for support (Simpson et al., 1996), resulting in different behaviors depending on their attachment style (Sroufe & Waters, 1977). Adults high in attachment avoidance have a history of repeated rejection and therefore tend to suppress emotions. Adults high in attachment anxiety fear abandonment and engage in behaviors aimed at eliciting attention from their partners like exaggerated expressions of fear (Simpson & Rholes, 1998). Although these strategies are meant to regulate emotion, it is possible they harm the relationship and perpetuate maladaptive interactions. In the present study, we examined associations between attachment style and observed emotional expressions and processes in conflict discussions, and whether the associations between attachment style and negative feelings about the relationship during conflict depended on specific emotional processes.

Preliminary analyses included 80 ethnically diverse opposite-sex couples (Mtimetogether = 2.60 years; Mage = 22.77, SDage = 1.91). We assessed attachment style using the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised scale (Fraley et al., 2000). Ten-minute conflict discussions were coded for the extent to which each partner exhibited Fear, Blame, and Withdrawal using a 4-point scale (0 = None, 3 = Very Much), and negative feelings about the relationship (e.g., How criticized by your partner did you feel during the discussion), were assessed via three items using a 5-point scale (0= None, 4 = A Lot) immediately following the discussion.

We conducted separate actor-partner interdependence models (APIM; Kenny, 1996; Kenny & Cook, 1999) for each emotion. Figure 1, Panel a presents APIMs examining attachment anxiety and emotion; men’s anxiety was positively associated with men’s coded fear and women’s withdrawal during the discussion. Women’s anxiety was negatively associated with women’s withdrawal. Figure 2, Panel b presents APIMs examining attachment avoidance and emotion; men’s avoidance was positively associated with men’s blame, and women’s avoidance was positively associated with women’s withdrawal. Finally, we conducted actor-partner interdependence moderation models (APIMoM) examining whether the associations between attachment style and negative feelings about the relationship depended on emotion. The APIMoM with the interaction between attachment avoidance and observed blame produced significant interactions. Following the procedure for simplifying APIMoM outlined by Garcia and colleagues (2015), we found the best fitting model contained three interaction effects, χ2(6) = 9.32, p = .16. Figure 2 illustrates the effect of attachment avoidance on negative relationship feelings as a function of women’s observed blame during the discussion. Results suggest that own and partner’s attachment styles differentially impact emotion during conflict and the relationship between attachment and feelings about the relationship may depend on emotional expression. Understanding associations between existing attachment styles, current emotional processes and their impact on the relationship may highlight points of intervention.

Authors

• Hannah F. Rasmussen, University of Southern California
  Presenting Author

• Geoffrey W Corner, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author

• Corey Pettit, University of California, Irvine
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stassja Sichko, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gayla Margolin, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author