MARRIED COUPLES WITH DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF ATTACHMENT STYLES: DIFFERENCES IN THE PERCEPTION OF THE MARITAL QUALITY

Authors

  • Biljana Trifunović Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad
  • Jelena Šakotić-Kurbalija Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad
  • Ivana Strizović Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19090/pp.2016.3.313-332

Keywords:

marital quality, adult attachment, combinations of adult attachment patterns

Abstract

To examine differences in the perception of marital quality among couples with various combinations of attachment styles, a total of 332 couples of diverse socioeconomic status, aged between 17 and 81 were examined. Administered scales were: the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS: Spanier, 1976, 1989) for measuring marital quality and the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale − Short Form (ECR: Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998; modification: Kamenov & Jelić, 2003) for identifying adult attachment styles. To assess the differences between couples with various combinations of attachment styles across the four factors of marital quality (dyadic consensus, dyadic satisfaction, affectional expression, and dyadic cohesion) one-way MANOVA was performed. Results indicate that the couples in which both partners are insecurely attached report worse adjustment in all examined factors of marital quality than couples in which either or both partners are securely attached. However, secure couples (in which both partners are securely attached) report significantly higher scores only on the Dyadic Consensus scale than mixed couples (in which only one partner is secure). No other differences are reported between these two groups.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Banse, R. (2004). Adult attachment and marital satisfaction: Evidence for dyadic configuration effects. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 21, 273–282. doi: 10.1177/0265407504041388

Bartholomew, K. (1990). Avoidance of intimacy: An attachment perspective. Journal of Social and Personal relationships, 7, 147–178. doi: 10.1177/0265407590072001

Bartholomew, K. (1993). From childhood to adult relationships: Attachment theory and research. In D. Steve (Ed.), Learning about relationships. Understanding relationship processes series (Vol. 2., pp. 30−62). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications.

Birnbaum, G. E. (2007). Attachment orientations, sexual functioning, and relationship satisfaction in a community sample of women. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 21−35. doi: 10.1177/0265407507072576

Birnbaum, G. E., Reis, H. T., Mikulincer, M., Gillath, O., & Orpaz, A. (2006). When sex is more than just sex: Attachment orientations, sexual experience, and relationship quality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 929−944. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.91.5.929

Bowlby, J. (1972). Attachment and loss, Vol. 2: Separation. New York: Basic Books.

Brennan, K. A., & Shaver, P. R. (1995). Dimensions of adult attachment, affect regulation, and romantic relationship functioning. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 267−283. doi: 10.1177/0146167295213008

Brennan, K. A., Clark, C. L., & Shaver, P. R. (1998). Self-report measurement of adult romantic attachment: An integrative overview. In J. A. Simpson & W. S. Rholes (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 46−76). New York: Guilford Press.

Butzer, B., & Campbell, L. (2008). Adult attachment, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction: A study of married couples. Personal Relationships, 15, 141−154. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2007.00189.x

Cann, A., Norman, M. A., Welbourne, J. L., & Calhoun, L. G. (2008). Attachment styles, conflict styles and humour styles: Interrelationships and associations with relationship satisfaction. European Journal of Personality, 22, 131−146. doi: 10.1002/per.666

Cassidy, J., & Shaver, P. R. (1999). Handbook of attachment. Theory, research and clinical applications. New York: Guilford Press.

Collins, N. L., Ford, M. B., Guichard, A. C., & Allard, L. M. (2006). Working models of attachment and attribution processes in intimate relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 201−219. doi: 10.1177/0146167205280907

Corcoran, K. O. C., & Mallinckrodt, B. (2000). Adult attachment, self‐efficacy, perspective taking, and conflict resolution. Journal of Counseling & Development, 78, 473−483. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2000.tb01931.x

Creasey, G., & Hesson-McInnis, M. (2001). Affective responses, cognitive appraisals, and conflict tactics in late adolescent romantic relationships: Associations with attachment orientations. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 48, 85−94. doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.48.1.85

Creasey, G., Kershaw, K., & Boston, A. (1999). Conflict management with friends and romantic partners: The role of attachment and negative mood regulation expectancies. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 28, 523−543. doi: 10.1023/A:1021650525419

Davis, D., Shaver, P. R., & Vernon, M. L. (2004). Attachment style and subjective motivations for sex. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 1076−1090. doi: 10.1177/0146167204264794

Feeney, J. A. (1994). Attachment style, communication patterns, and satisfaction across the life cycle of marriage. Personal Relationships, 4, 333–348. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.1994.tb00069.x

Feeney, J. A. (1996). Attachment, caregiving, and marital satisfaction. Personal Relationships, 3, 401−416. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.1996.tb00124.x

Feeney, J. A. (2008). Adult romantic attachment: Developments in the study of couple relationships. In J. Feeney, J. Cassidy, & P. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed., pp. 456−481). New York, NY, US: Guilford Press.

Feeney, J. A., & Noller, P. (2004). Attachment and sexuality in close relationships. In J. Harvey, A. Wenzel, & S. Spenser (Eds.), The handbook of sexuality in close relationships (pp. 183−203). New Jersey: Inc. Publishers.

Feeney, J. A., Noller, P., & Patty, J. (1993). Adolescents' interactions with the opposite sex: Influence of attachment style and gender. Journal of Adolescence, 16, 169−182. doi: 10.1006/jado.1993.1015

Finney, S. J., & DiStefano, C. (2006). Non-normal and categorical data in structural equation modeling. In G. Hanchock & R. Mueller (Eds.), Structural Equation Modeling: A second course (pp. 269−314). New York: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Fraley, R. C., & Shaver, P. R. (2000). Adult romantic attachment: Theoretical developments, emerging controversies, and unanswered questions. Review of General Psychology, 4, 132−154. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.4.2.132

Guerrero, L. K., Farinelli, L., & McEwan, B. (2009). Attachment and relational satisfaction: The mediating effect of emotional communication. Communication Monographs, 76, 487−514. doi: 10.1080/03637750903300254

Hadden, B. W., Smith, C. V., & Webster, G. D. (2014). Relationship duration moderates associations between attachment and relationship quality meta-analytic support for the temporal adult romantic attachment model. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18, 42−58. doi: 10.1177/1088868313501885

Hammond, J. R., & Fletcher, G. J. (1991). Attachment styles and relationship satisfaction in the development of close relationships. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 20, 56−56.

Hanak, N. (2004). Construction of the new instrument for assessment of adult and adolescence attachment. Psihologija, 37, 123−142. doi: 10.2298/PSI0401123H

Holland, A. S., & Roisman, G. I. (2010). Adult attachment security and young adults’ dating relationships over time: Self-reported, observational, and physiological evidence. Developmental Psychology, 46, 552−569. doi: 10.1037/a0018542

Hollist, C. S., & Miller, R. B. (2005). Perceptions of attachment style and marital quality in midlife marriage. Family Relations, 54, 46−57. doi: 10.1111/j.0197-6664.2005.00005.x

Huston, T. L., & Vangelisti, A. L. (1991). Socioemotional behavior and satisfaction in marital relationships: A longitudinal study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 721−733. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.61.5.721

Huston, T. L., Caughlin, J. P., Houts, R. M., Smith, S. E., & George, L. J. (2001). The connubial crucible: Newlywed years as predictors of marital delight, distress, and divorce. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 237−252. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.80.2.237

Iboro F. A. O., & Uduakabasi I. A. (2011). Predicting marital satisfaction from the attachment styles and gender of a culturally and religiously homogenous population. Gender and Behaviour, 9, 3656−3679. doi: 10.4314/gab.v9i1.67466

Johnson, M. D., Cohan, C. L., Davila, J., Lawrence, E., Rogge, R. D., Karney, B. R., . . . Bradbury, T. N. (2005). Problem-solving skills and affective expressions as predictors of change in marital satisfaction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 15−27. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.73.1.15

Kamenov, Ž. i Jelić, M. (2003). Validacija instrumenta za mjerenje privrženosti u različitim vrstama bliskih odnosa: Modifikacija Brennanova Inventara iskustava u bliskim vezama. Suvremena psihologija, 6, 73−91.

Kenny, D. A., Kashy, D. A., & Cook, W. L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. New York: Guilford Press.

Kirkpatrick, L. A., & Hazan, C. (1994). Attachment styles and close relationships: A four‐year prospective study. Personal Relationships, 1, 123−142. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.1994.tb00058.x

Kohn, J. L., Rholes, S. W., Simpson, J. A., Martin, A. M., Tran, S., & Wilson, C. L. (2012). Changes in marital satisfaction across the transition to parenthood the role of adult attachment orientations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 1506−1522. doi: 10.1177/0146167212454548

Kurdek, L. A. (2008). Change in relationship quality for partners from lesbian, gay male, and heterosexual couples. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 701−711. doi: 10.1037/0893-3200.22.5.701

Li, T., & Chan, D. K. S. (2012). How anxious and avoidant attachment affect romantic relationship quality differently: A meta‐analytic review. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 406−419. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.1842

Little, K. C., McNulty, J. K., & Russell, V. M. (2010). Sex buffers intimates against the negative implications of attachment insecurity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 484−498. doi: 10.1177/0146167209352494

Marganska, A., Gallagher, M., & Miranda, R. (2013). Adult attachment, emotion dysregulation, and symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety disorder. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 83, 131−141. doi: 10.1111/ajop.12001

Mikulincer, M., & Goodman, G. S. (2006). Dynamics of romantic love: Attachment, caregiving, and sex. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2003). The attachment behavioral system in adulthood: activation, psychodynamics, and interpersonal processes. New York: Guilford Press.

Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2006). Attachment Bases of Emotion Regulation and Posttraumatic Adjustment. In D. K. Snyder, J. A. Simpson, & J. N. Hughes (Eds.), Emotion regulation in families: Pathways to dysfunction and health (pp. 77−99). New York: Guilford Press.

Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2010). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. New York: Guilford Press.

Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2012). An attachment perspective on psychopathology. World Psychiatry, 11, 11−15. doi: 10.1016/j.wpsyc.2012.01.003

Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P. R., & Pereg, D. (2003). Attachment theory and affect regulation: The dynamics, development, and cognitive consequences of attachment-related strategies. Motivation and Emotion, 27, 77−102. doi: 10.1023/A:1024515519160

Nikić, G. (2003). Dva pristupa u izučavanju bliskih partnerskih odnosa (Neobjavljen magistarski rad). Beograd: Filozofski fakultet.

Pereg, D., & Mikulincer, M. (2004). Attachment style and the regulation of negative affect: Exploring individual differences in mood congruency effects on memory and judgment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 67−80. doi: 10.1177/0146167203258852

Saavedra, M. C., Chapman, K. E., & Rogge, R. D. (2010). Clarifying links between attachment and relationship quality: hostile conflict and mindfulness as moderators. Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 380−396. doi: 10.1037/a0019872

Šakotić Kurbalija, J., Mićanović Cvejić, Ž. i Kurbalija, D. (2010). Karakteristike afektivne vezanosti osoba sa depresivnim poremećajima. Psihijatrija danas, 42, 157−168.

Schachner, D. A., & Shaver, P. R. (2004). Attachment dimensions and sexual motives. Personal relationships, 11, 179−195. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2004.00077.x

Senchak, M., & Leonard, K. E. (1992). Attachment styles and marital adjustment among newlywed couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 9, 51−64. doi: 10.1177/0265407592091003

Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (2002). Attachment-related psychodynamics. Attachment & human development, 4, 133−161. doi: 10.1080/14616730210154171

Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (2007). Adult attachment strategies and the regulation of emotion. In J. J. Gross (Ed.), Handbook of emotion regulation (pp. 446−465). New York: The Guilford Press.

Shaver, P. R., Hazan, C., & Bradshaw, D. (1988). Love as attachment: The integration of three behavioral systems. In R. J. Sternberg & M. Barnes (Eds.), The psychology of love (pp. 68−99). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Shi, L. (2003). The association between adult attachment styles and conflict resolution in romantic relationships. American Journal of Family Therapy, 31, 143−157. doi: 10.1080/01926180301120

Spanier, G. B. (1976). Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 2, 15−28. doi: 10.2307/350547

Spanier, G. B. (1989). Manual for the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. North Tonowanda, New York: Multi-Health Systems.

Stafford, L., Kline, S. L., & Rankin, C. T. (2004). Married individuals, cohabiters, and cohabiters who marry: A longitudinal study of relational and individual well-being. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 21, 231−248. doi: 10.1177/0265407504041385

Stefanović Stanojević, T. (2002). Bliske partnerske veze. Psihologija, 35, 81−95.

Stefanović Stanojević, T. (2008). Konflikti u ljubavnim vezama − iz ugla teorije afektivnog vezivanja. Teme, 5, 789−807.

Tabachnick, B., & Fidell, L. (2007). Multivariate analysis of variance and covariance. In C. Woods (Ed.), Using multivariate statistics (pp. 375–440). New York: HarperCollins.

Tadinac, M., Kamenov, Ž., Jelić, M. i Hromatko, I. (2005). Što ljubavnu vezu čini uspješnom? Izvještaj s XV Ljetne psihologijske škole, Brač. Zagreb: Odsjek za psihologiju i Klub studenata psihologije. Preuzeto sa http://darhiv.ffzg.unizg.hr/1975/1/335962.LJETNA_SKOLA_Sto_ljubavnu_vezu_cini_uspjesnom.pdf

Tran, S., & Simpson, J. A. (2009). Prorelationship maintenance behaviors: The joint roles of attachment and commitment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 685−698. doi: 10.1037/a0016418

Waldinger, R. J., Seidman, E. L., Gerber, A. J., Liem, J. H., Allen, J. P., & Hauser, S. T. (2003). Attachment and core relationship themes: Wishes for autonomy and closeness in the narratives of securely and insecurely attached adults. Psychotherapy Research, 13, 77−98. doi: 10.1093/ptr/kpg008

Žuvela, B. (2004). Afektivna vezanost adolescenata u partnerskim odnosima. Facta universitatis-series: Philosophy, Sociology and Psychology, 3, 83−97.

Downloads

Published

03.10.2016

How to Cite

Trifunović, B., Šakotić-Kurbalija, J., & Strizović, I. (2016). MARRIED COUPLES WITH DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF ATTACHMENT STYLES: DIFFERENCES IN THE PERCEPTION OF THE MARITAL QUALITY. Primenjena Psihologija, 9(3), 313–332. https://doi.org/10.19090/pp.2016.3.313-332

Issue

Section

Regular issues