Marital behavior and the security of preschooler–parent attachment relationships.

Longitudinal and concurrent relations among positive and negative marital behaviors in 2 contexts and preschoolers' security of attachment were examined for 53 families. At 6 months postpartum, couples were observed in their homes during couple discussion and family play. At 3 years, parents completed the Attachment Q-Set (E. Waters, 1987); marital and parenting behavior was also observed. Interparental hostility during family play at 6 months predicted less secure preschooler–mother attachment. Greater marital conflict at 3 years was associated with less security with mother and father, whereas positive marital engagement at 3 years was associated with more secure child-father attachment. Mothers' parenting partially explained the linkages between marital behavior and child–mother attachment. These results highlight the impact of positive and negative marital behaviors on children's abilities to use their parents as a secure base. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal representations of past and current attachment relationships, and emotional experience across the transition to motherhood: A longitudinal study.

Sad and anxious feelings are known to increase in the immediate postpartum period, whereas studies on new mothers' other emotional qualities such as anger are scarce. In laboratory studies, attachment security was found to be associated with effective emotion regulation in challenging situations. This study investigated attachment representations of experiences with parents and of current experiences with the partner as predictors of sad, anxious, and angry feelings across the transition to motherhood. Seventy-seven pregnant women in their third trimester were administered the Adult Attachment Interview and the Current Relationship Interview. The Differential Emotions Scale was given in pregnancy and at the infant's ages of 2 weeks, 2, 4, and 6 months, asking both mothers and fathers about maternal emotional experience. Sadness and anxiety increased 2 weeks postpartum and returned to below baseline over the following months, while anger did not change. Contrary to mothers with an insecure representation of their couple relationship, those with a secure representation reported and displayed increased sadness and anxiety 2 weeks after giving birth, from which they quickly recovered. For mothers secure in their representation of past attachment relationships with parents, an increase of low-level anger emerged 4 months postpartum, which did not occur in insecure participants and receded quickly. It can be concluded that secure representations of current and past attachment relationships help new mothers express and recover from negative emotions. These findings further elucidate the associations between attachment status and emotion regulation while adding a couple perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disorders of adult attachment.

This article presents an overview of J. Bowlby's framework of attachment (e.g., 1990) for conceptualizing adult psychopathology and its application to clinical practice. The theory proposes that psychological disorders reflect an internalization of adverse attachment experiences, both current and past, and in particular those that undermine self-reliance and feelings of security. Clinical syndromes indicate intensification of anxiety, depression, and/or anger to a degree which interferes with adaptive functioning and interactions with others. The secure base of therapy provides a new model of what close relationships can be like, as well as a setting for exploring and possibly modifying the meaning given to separation and loss experiences. Issues of prevention and social policy are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability of attachment representations: The transition to marriage.

This study examined the stability of adult attachment representations across the transition to marriage. One hundred fifty-seven couples were assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; C. George, N. Kaplan, & M. Main, 1985), the Current Relationship Interview (J. A. Crowell & G. Owens, 1996), and measures describing relationship functioning and life events 3 months prior to their weddings and 18 months into their marriages. The authors tested the hypotheses that attachment classifications are stable and that change is related to experiences in the relationship and/or life events; 78% of the sample received the same primary AAI classification (secure, preoccupied, and dismissing) at both times. Change was toward increased security and was associated with feelings and cognitions about the relationship. Only 46% of participants initially classified as unresolved retained the classification. Stability of the unresolved classification was associated with stressful life events and relationship aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Working Models of Attachment Shape Perceptions of Social Support: Evidence From Experimental and Observational Studies.

Two studies examined the association between attachment style and perceptions of social support. Study 1 (N = 95 couples) used an experimental paradigm to manipulate social support in the context of a stressful task. Insecure participants (anxious and avoidant) who received low-support messages appraised these messages more negatively, rated a prior behavioral interaction with their partner as having been less supportive, and performed significantly worse at their task compared with secure participants. Study 2 (N = 153 couples) used a similar paradigm except that partners were allowed to send genuine support messages. Insecure participants (especially fearful) perceived their partners' messages as less supportive, even after controlling for independent ratings of the messages and relationship-specific expectations. These studies provide evidence that individuals are predisposed to appraise their support experiences in ways that are consistent with their chronic working models of attachment, especially when the support message is ambiguous. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations among family discord, caregiver communication, and children's family representations.

This study examined associations among family discord, caregiver communication quality about emotionally stressful family events, and child internal representations of family security in 50 preschool children and their primary caregivers. Consistent with risk and protective models, findings indicate that children's representations were predicted by the interaction between family discord and caregiver communication quality. Children exhibiting the highest level of secure representations of the family experienced a consistency between low levels of family discord and communications emphasizing family security. Conversely, incongruency between family experiences and communication, reflected in high levels of family discord and communications underscoring family security, was associated with the lowest level of child secure representations. Results suggest that child representations hinge on the fit between caregiver communication quality and family experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The attachment system in fledgling relationships: An activating role for attachment anxiety.

Is it sensible to study attachment dynamics between potential romantic partners before they share a full-fledged attachment bond? The present data indicate that such an approach may reveal novel insights about initial attraction processes. Four studies suggest that the state-like experience of attachment anxiety has functional implications within fledgling (i.e., desired or undeveloped) romantic relationships, well before the formation of an attachment bond. Studies 1 and 3 reveal that attachment anxiety directed toward a particular romantic interest is elevated before (in comparison with after) participants report being in an established relationship. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrate that such partner-specific attachment anxiety predicts attachment-relevant outcomes in fledgling relationships, including proximity seeking, safe haven, secure base, passionate love, and other approach behaviors. These associations were reliable above and beyond (and were typically as strong as or stronger than) the effect of sexual desire. Finally, Study 4 presents evidence that partner-specific attachment anxiety may cause several of these attachment-relevant outcomes. Attachment anxiety seems to be a normative experience and may signal the activation of the attachment system during the earliest stages of romantic relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clarifying links between attachment and relationship quality: Hostile conflict and mindfulness as moderators.

In this study we examined self-reported hostile conflict and mindfulness as potential moderators of the links between attachment and relationship quality over time in a sample of 1,702 online respondents. The analyses revealed that both attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with lower levels of current relationship quality and attachment avoidance was linked with lower relationship satisfaction over time. The results offered partial support for the moderation hypotheses with attachment anxiety but failed to support moderation of attachment avoidance. Specifically, when predicting relationship satisfaction, hostile conflict moderated the effect of attachment anxiety such that high hostile conflict and high attachment anxiety were associated with particularly low current satisfaction. Shifts in hostile conflict over time also exacerbated the longitudinal associations between attachment anxiety and relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, mindfulness moderated the effects of attachment anxiety on stability such that high levels of mindfulness seemed to buffer relationships from the increased risk of breakup associated with high levels of attachment anxiety. Implications for research and treatment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When sex is more than just sex: Attachment orientations, sexual experience, and relationship quality.

The authors explored the contribution of individual differences in attachment orientations to the experience of sexual intercourse and its association with relationship quality. In Study 1, 500 participants completed self-report scales of attachment orientations and sexual experience. The findings indicated that whereas attachment anxiety was associated with an ambivalent construal of sexual experience, attachment avoidance was associated with more aversive sexual feelings and cognitions. In Study 2, 41 couples reported on their attachment orientations and provided daily diary measures of sexual experiences and relationship interactions for a period of 42 days. Results showed that attachment anxiety amplified the effects of positive and negative sexual experiences on relationship interactions. In contrast, attachment avoidance inhibited the positive relational effect of having sex and the detrimental relational effects of negative sexual interactions. The authors discuss the possibility that attachment orientations are associated with different sex-related strategies and goals within romantic relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Together in pain: Attachment-related dyadic processes and posttraumatic stress disorder.

We used actor–partner interdependence modeling to explore associations among attachment-related dyadic processes, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in war veterans, and secondary traumatic stress (STS) in their wives. A sample of 157 Israeli couples (85 former prisoners of war and their wives and a comparison group of 72 veterans not held captive and their wives) completed self-report scales assessing attachment insecurities (anxiety, avoidance) and PTSD symptoms. For both groups of veterans and their wives, attachment anxiety was associated with the severity of their own and their spouses' PTSD and STS. Avoidant attachment was associated with PTSD and STS only in couples that included a former prisoner of war. A complex pattern of associations involving avoidant attachment was observed in the actor–partner analyses of these couples. The study demonstrates that attachment-related dyadic processes play a role in the development and maintenance of PTSD in traumatized veterans and STS in their wives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Support seeking and support giving within couples in an anxiety-provoking situation: The role of attachment styles.

Examined how adult attachment styles moderate spontaneous behavior between dating couples when 1 member of the dyad is confronted with an anxiety-provoking situation. 83 dating couples were unobtrusively videotaped for 5 min in a waiting room while the woman waited to participate in an "activity" known to provoke anxiety in most people. Independent observers then evaluated each partner's behavior on several dimensions. Results revealed that persons with more secure attachment styles behaved differently than persons with more avoidant styles in terms of physical contact, supportive comments, and efforts to seek and give emotional support. Findings are discussed in the context of theory and research on attachment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxiety disorders and intimate relationships: A study of daily processes in couples.

Although adults with anxiety disorders often report interpersonal distress, the degree to which anxiety is linked to the quality of close relationships remains unclear. The authors examined the relational impact of anxiety by sampling the daily mood and relationship quality of 33 couples in which the wife was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Use of a daily process design improved on prior methodologies by capturing relational processes closer to their actual occurrence and in the setting of the diagnosed partner’s anxiety. Analyses revealed significant associations between wives’ daily anxiety and both partners’ perceptions of relationship quality. Associations were moderated by anxiety-specific support. Results also indicated significant concordance between wives’ daily anxiety and husbands’ distress. Concordance was stronger for husbands who reported frequent accommodation of wives’ anxiety symptoms. Findings are discussed in the context of existing evidence on the social costs of anxiety disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How do underlying "self" and "other" dimensions define adult attachment styles?

Assumptions about dimensions underlying the four prototype model of adult attachment were explored in two studies. In the first (N = 225), associations between attachment prototype ratings and standardized measures of self and others in relationships were examined. In a second study (N = 246), measures of anxiety and avoidance were added to the analyses. Findings from correlational and hierarchical regression analyses provided support for the notion, contrary to assumptions of the model, that qualitatively different self and other dimensions underlie different attachment styles. Results are discussed in terms of the lack of equivalency in measures of "self" and "other" proposed to underly each of the four attachment style ratings, the need to view attachment styles as complementary rather than mutually exclusive, and the need to continue exploration of the dimensions informing attachment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship influences on exploration in adulthood: The characteristics and function of a secure base.

This investigation advances theory and research regarding relationship influences on exploration in adulthood. This is accomplished by (a) identifying important characteristics of a secure base, (b) examining the influence of the presence or absence of these characteristics on exploration behavior in adulthood, and (c) identifying individual-difference factors that are predictive of the provision and receipt of secure base support. In 2 sessions, married couples (N = 167) provided reports of relationship dynamics involving exploration, and they participated in an exploration activity that was videotaped and coded by independent observers. Results indicated that the 3 identified characteristics of a secure base (availability, noninterference, and encouragement) are strongly predictive of exploration behavior, and that the provision and receipt of these behaviors can be predicted by individual differences in attachment. Implications of results and contributions to existing literature are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal employment and infant-mother attachment security at 12 months postpartum.

This study assessed the association between aspects of mother's employment and security of infant-mother attachment, in combination with proximal (maternal sensitivity) and distal (demographic, maternal, child, child-care) factors. Participants were 145 Australian mothers and their firstborn children. Attachment security was assessed with the Strange Situation at 12 months. Results showed that mothers' prenatal attitudes to work and timing of the return to work made significant, independent contributions to attachment outcomes over and above the effects of proximal and distal predictors. Mothers who expressed more commitment to work and less anxiety about using nonfamily child care, and who returned to work earlier, were more likely to have secure infants. These findings are considered in relation to contemporary expectations about mothers' participation in paid work and other predictors of secure attachment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal sensitivity to infant distress and nondistress as predictors of infant-mother attachment security.

In considering Bowlby's (1969/1982) conceptualization of attachment as a "biobehavioral safety-regulating system," Goldberg, Grusec, & Jenkins (1999) proposed that maternal sensitivity to infant distress may be particularly relevant to the formation of a secure attachment relationship. Data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care provided a unique opportunity to address this question as maternal sensitivity to nondistress and distress were each coded for 357 mother-infant dyads at 6 months and 230 dyads at 15 months from videotaped observations of mother-infant play sessions. Attachment security was assessed in the Strange Situation at 15 months. Logistic regression analyses indicated that greater sensitivity to distress (but not greater sensitivity to nondistress) at 6 months was associated with increased odds of being classified as secure. The 15-month sensitivity measures were nonsignificant predictors of security. The results support the notion that the protective function of the child-mother attachment relationship may be especially salient during early infancy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing secure base behavior in adulthood: Development of a measure, links to adult attachment representations and relations to couples' communication and reports of relationships.

A focus on the secure base phenomenon creates a framework for exploring the function of the attachment system in adulthood. Engaged couples (N=157) were videotaped in a problem-solving interaction and assessed using the Secure Base Scoring System (SBSS), a system based on Ainsworth's analyses of infant-parent secure base use and support. Study 1 showed behavior was significantly related to representations assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview (M. Main and R. Goldwyn, 1994). In Study 2, the interactions were independently scored with the Rapid Marital Interaction Coding System (RMICS; R. E. Heyman and D. Vivian, 1993), a communication-based system. The SBSS predicted relationship variables beyond the RMICS, especially for women. Results indicate that the secure base phenomenon provides a cogent perspective on adult attachment behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

La relation entre l'abus sexuel subi durant l'enfance et la satisfaction conjugale chez l'homme.

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between child sexual abuse and men's dyadic adjustment, using a theoretical model integrating attachment, that is anxiety about abandonment and avoidance of proximity, and psychological distress. Participants were 316 men forming a probabilistic sample of French-Quebecer living in couple. Structural equation analyses showed that sexual abuse predicted dyadic adjustment through anxiety about abandonment and psychological distress. Moreover, there was no relationship between sexual abuse and avoidance of proximity, while this variable was associated to dyadic adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)