Examining Abuse, Attachment Anxiety, and Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships

Cell phones have become important communication media for individuals in romantic relationships. The frequency of and methods used for communication may vary by adults' style of romantic attachment. Female university students ( N = 31) currently in romantic relationships responded to a questionnaire. They estimated the frequency of calls and text messages received from and made to their romantic partners and completed the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised instrument, a measure of attachment anxiety and avoidance. Also, the participants reviewed their cell phones' memories and provided accurate frequency of communication to and from the romantic partner. Attachment anxiety was associated with more estimated text messages sent to and received from the romantic partners and actual text messages sent to and received from the romantic partners. Attachment avoidance was associated ( r = −.38) with fewer estimated calls made to the romantic partners and fewer actual calls made to the romantic partners ( r = −.34).

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Mind the Gap: Perceived Partner Responsiveness as a Bridge between General and Partner-Specific Attachment Security

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17197178 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (19) ◽

pp. 7178

Author(s):

TeKisha M. Rice ◽

Madoka Kumashiro ◽

Ximena B. Arriaga

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Attachment Theory ◽

Attachment Security ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Secure Attachment ◽

Specific Attachment ◽

Perceived Partner Responsiveness ◽

Core Idea ◽

Partner Responsiveness ◽

A Current

A core idea of attachment theory is that security develops when attachment figures are responsive to a person’s connection needs. Individuals may be more or less secure in different relationships. We hypothesized that individuals who perceive a current relationship partner as being responsive to their needs will feel more secure in that specific relationship, and that the benefits of perceived partner responsiveness would be more pronounced for individuals who generally feel insecure. The current study included 472 individuals (236 couples) in romantic relationships. Consistent with our predictions, individuals who perceived more responsiveness from their partner displayed lower partner-specific attachment anxiety and partner-specific avoidance, especially when they were generally insecure. These findings are discussed in terms of the conditions that promote secure attachment bonds.

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Remaining in unhappy relationships: The roles of attachment anxiety and fear of change

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships ◽

10.1177/0265407520904156 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 37 (5) ◽

pp. 1626-1633 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tiffany George ◽

Joshua Hart ◽

W. Steven Rholes

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Well Being ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Anxiety And Fear

Romantic relationships are one of the most important sources of well-being. Unfortunately, many people who begin relationships with high hopes later find that they are unhappy but unwilling or unable to leave. Why do people remain in unsatisfactory relationships? The present research examined whether elevated fear of change in anxiously attached individuals is associated with greater commitment to unsatisfying relationships. We found that fear of change mediated the association between attachment anxiety and commitment to relationships, and that fear of being alone was a serial mediator for the anxiety to commitment association along with fear of change.

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Attachment Anxiety, Conflict Behaviors, and Depressive Symptoms in Emerging Adults’ Romantic Relationships

Journal of Adult Development ◽

10.1007/s10804-012-9144-4 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 170-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jennifer F. Marchand-Reilly

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Romantic Relationships ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Conflict Behaviors

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The Link between Attachment Style and Self-Reported Olfactory Ability: A Preliminary Investigation

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11101367 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 1367

Author(s):

Amy Shell ◽

Anna Blomkvist ◽

Mehmet K. Mahmut

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Romantic Relationship ◽

Preliminary Investigation ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Relationship Maintenance ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Olfactory Ability

Individuals in healthy romantic relationships gain significant benefits to their psychological wellbeing and physiological health. Notably, the majority of relationship research has focused on how adult attachment influences these relationship outcomes while the role of olfaction remains an emerging research focus. The aim of the current study was to bring together these seemingly unrelated factors–attachment and olfaction–in an online quasi-experimental design. The participants were 401 undergraduate students, predominantly females, ranging in age from 17 to 70 years. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires that evaluated their attachment tendencies, olfactory ability and experiences in romantic relationships. Results indicated that attachment insecurity, across both attachment anxiety and avoidance, was associated with decreased olfactory functioning for females. These findings provide preliminary evidence that olfaction is related to romantic relationship maintenance and suggests that body odors could be fundamental for evoking the attachment system. These findings also elicit enticing new avenues of research which can assist psychologists to provide targeted treatments to individuals with olfactory deficits and insecure attachment tendencies.

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Exposure to an Infidelity Threat Manipulation

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000196 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 119-127

Author(s):

Tamra Cater ◽

Virgil Zeigler-Hill ◽

Avi Besser

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Romantic Relationship ◽

Romantic Partners ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Attachment Avoidance ◽

Low Levels ◽

The Relationship ◽

Attachment Dimensions ◽

High Threat

Abstract. The associations between adult attachment dimensions and responses to romantic relationship threats have been investigated in recent years. The present study extended the results of previous studies by examining whether attachment dimensions moderated the anticipated responses that individuals had to the imagined infidelity of their romantic partners. College student participants (N = 243) were randomly assigned to imagine either a high threat scenario (i.e., finding their partner having sex with someone else) or a low threat scenario (i.e., hearing a couple on television having sex) and report their anticipated responses to these scenarios. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that the attachment dimensions moderated the anticipated responses of participants to the imagined infidelity of their romantic partners but the exact patterns of these results were different than we expected. For example, individuals with low levels of attachment avoidance provided more positive evaluations of their romantic relationships than individuals with high levels of attachment avoidance in the low threat condition but this difference did not emerge in the high threat condition. These findings suggest that low levels of attachment avoidance may be most beneficial for romantic relationships when there is relatively little threat to the relationship. Further, men with high levels of attachment anxiety reported relatively positive evaluations of their relationships in the high threat condition compared to men with low levels of attachment anxiety or women (regardless of their level of attachment anxiety). Discussion focuses on the implications these results may have for understanding the connections between attachment and relationship evaluations under conditions of threat.

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The Ex-Factor: Attachment Anxiety and Social Comparisons Across Romantic Relationships

Journal of Relationships Research ◽

10.1017/jrr.2019.3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

Simran Hingorani ◽

Rebecca T. Pinkus

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Romantic Relationships ◽

Social Comparison ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Social Comparisons ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Self Perceptions ◽

Current Partner

AbstractIndividuals high in attachment anxiety often experience persistent negative self-perceptions and heightened sensitivity toward perceived relationship threats. These characteristics may extend into past romantic relationships. This study examined whether individual differences in attachment style predict self-evaluations and relationship social comparison frequency. Two hundred and fifty-nine individuals rated themselves, their partner, and their current partner's ex-partner (CPE) or their ex-partner's current partner (ECP) on several dimensions. Individuals high in attachment anxiety experienced more relationship uncertainty but were not less satisfied than individuals low in attachment anxiety. They also made more comparisons in general and to relationships involving an ex-partner, and viewed themselves less positively than they viewed their CPE/ECP. Findings are discussed with respect to the influence that past relationships might hold over anxiously attached individuals’ current relationships.

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Associations of Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance With Male- and Female-Perpetrated Sexual Coercion in Romantic Relationships

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/0886-6708.33.6.1176 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (6) ◽

pp. 1176-1192 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nicole Barbaro ◽

Andrew M. Holub ◽

Todd K. Shackelford

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Sexual Coercion ◽

Romantic Attachment ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Romantic Partner ◽

Self Report ◽

Attachment Avoidance ◽

Theoretical Perspectives ◽

Ongoing Relationship ◽

Attachment Dimensions

Few studies have investigated the associations between romantic attachment dimensions and sexual coercion perpetration. The present study aimed to address methodological limitations in previous studies, and to more accurately identify the associations between romantic attachment and sexual coercion perpetration in romantic relationships. Data from 284 individuals (56% men) were secured via an online self-report survey. Participants completed assessments of romantic attachment to their current romantic partner, and reported the frequency with which they perpetrated 34 acts of sexual coercion against their romantic partner. Attachment anxiety was a positive predictor of sexual coercion perpetration for men and women. Additionally, for men only, the association between attachment anxiety and sexual coercion perpetration was stronger for individuals with greater attachment avoidance. The results of the study present a clearer picture of the associations between attachment and sexual coercion, and accord with modern theoretical perspectives positing that romantic attachment regulates reactions to acute and ongoing relationship threats.

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