INFLUENCE OF ATTACHMENT STYLES ON MARITAL SATISFACTION AMONG MARRIED COUPLES

Researchers are interested in marital satisfaction since it is signicant for couples' psychological well-being. They have been studying the factors that lead to a happy marriage for a long time. Adult attachment styles, according to the prior study, serve an active role in forming an intimate relationship. The purpose of the current study was to examine the inuence of adult attachment styles (Secure, Fearful, Dismissive, and Preoccupied) on marital satisfaction among Indian married couples. 304 respondents (152 females & 152 males) from various cities across India participated in the study. To assess the participants' attachment styles and marital satisfaction, the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (Collins, 1996) and ENRICH-SF Marital Satisfaction Scale (Fowers, & Olson, 1993) were used respectively. The statistical analysis was determined using the Chisquare, Kruskal-Wallis One way ANOVAand Mann-Whitney U tests. Results showed that the respondents with secure and dismissive attachment styles had higher marital satisfaction than the respondents with preoccupied and fearful attachment styles. The study found that male and female subjects did not differ signicantly in their attachment styles and marital satisfaction. However, participants who were married for more than 20 years were more in number to have experienced a secure attachment style and they had higher marital satisfaction. Psychotherapists and counsellors in general, and couple therapists in particular, will benet from the current research. Further study will aid in a better understanding of this nding.

Changes in the Risk of Sexual Reoffending: The Role and Relevance of Perceived Self-Efficacy and Adult Attachment Styles in Correctional Treatment

According to the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model, treatment effectiveness increases when treatment addresses all three associated core principles. While researchers have focused on the risk and need principles, responsivity remains under-investigated. The theoretical foundation of the RNR model and former research indicates low perceived self-efficacy and inadequate adult attachment styles as potential responsivity factors that can impede treatment of the underlying risk factors. This study assesses firstly whether these factors predict treatment attrition, and secondly changes in the assessed risk of sexual reoffending. Participants were N = 146 men sentenced for sexual offences in a German social-therapeutic correctional facility. Younger age, higher number of previous convictions, and higher scores on the interpersonal facet of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised are associated with a higher risk of treatment attrition. Unemployment prior to incarceration was found to be an aggravating factor, whereas substance abuse emerged as a mitigating factor, according reducing the risk of reoffending. Neither pre-treatment self-efficacy nor attachment styles revealed as responsivity factors in this study. Future studies should examine if the consideration of these factors during treatment might impact treatment outcomes.

Validation of the Relationships Questionnaire (RQ) against the Experience of Close Relationship-Revised Questionnaire in a Clinical Psychiatric Sample

Background: The Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) is a commonly used self-reporting questionnaire used to measure adult attachment styles. The RQ has two parts. RQ1, a single item where individuals have to indicate their preferred relationship style, and RQ2, where individuals can rate their relationship style in more detail using four different scales. Agreement is expected between the highest levels selected and the style chosen in RQ1. An advantage of the RQ is its brevity, whereas a disadvantage is that it constitutes a single item. A validation of RQ has not been clearly demonstrated, even though it has convergent validity in relation to other measurements in this area. Methods: 168 patients completed the RQ, the short version of the Experience in Close Relationships (Revised) questionnaire (ECR-R), and scales of depression and interpersonal problems. Regression analysis was conducted to examine the congruity in regard to attachment theory. Results: ratings from 15.5% of the patients showed disagreement between RQ1 and RQ2. Each type of attachment measured by the RQ was predicted by the ECR-R scores, as hypothesized. In the predictive analysis of depression and interpersonal problems, both RQ dimensions and ECR-R scores were coherent. Conclusions: RQ is a valid self-reported measurement that can be applied clinically on the condition that the rater identifies an agreement between RQ1 and RQ2.

Balancing typological and dimensional approaches: Assessment of adult attachment styles with Factor Mixture Analysis

Many studies show the importance of adult attachment styles and their impact on social and emotional adaptation in adulthood. However, there is no agreement about whether attachment should be regarded as typological or dimensional, and some authors have proposed reconciling both options, so that adult attachment styles can be assessed more accurately and realistically. In this study we have adopted this comprehensive view and used Factor Mixture Analysis, the most appropriate model for assessing this mixture view. More specifically, we attempted to determine the nature and types (if any) of attachment styles that can be assessed with the Adult Attachment Questionnaire (CAA), using this mixture view. A total of 515 adults from Spain took part, with ages between 18 and 56 years old. In addition to the CAA questionnaire, they completed the Parental Bonding Instrument and the emotional stability subscale of the Overall Personality Assessment Scale. On the basis of the CAA scores, the results show that only two profiles–insecure attachment and normal-range–can be univocally differentiated. Furthermore, the results of a full multiple-group structural model show that each of these profiles has a different pattern of validity relations with the external variables maternal care, maternal overprotection and emotional stability. These differential validity results reinforce the general hypothesis that two differentiated clusters of individuals can be distinguished on the basis of the responses to the CAA items.

Personal Agency in Borderline Personality Disorder: The Impact of Adult Attachment Style

BackgroundPersonal agency- the degree to which one believes they have control over their life- is thought to influence how people understand their interpersonal relationships. Links between adult attachment and personal agency are theoretically relevant to the experience of borderline personality disorder (BPD) but this has yet to be empirically examined. The present research examines the impact of personal agency and adult attachment styles for individuals meeting criteria for BPD.MethodsParticipants consented to an online community study examining measures of locus of control (as an index of personal agency), BPD, and adult attachment. Participants meeting criteria for BPD (N = 96; mean age = 30.63; 70.5% female) were compared to age-matched healthy controls (N = 96; mean age = M = 31.99; 89.0% female).ResultsIndividuals who met criteria for BPD displayed lower personal agency and higher fearful and preoccupied attachment styles in their close relationships, compared to Controls. Controls reported greater personal agency and were more securely attached in their relationships. Using multiple mediation modeling, the indirect effect of personal agency on BPD was significant for preoccupied, fearful, and secure attachment, but was non-significant for dismissive attachment. Lower personal agency was associated with insecure adult attachment styles.ConclusionsFindings highlight the previously unexplored relationship between BPD and personal agency and indicate that adult attachment style plays a significant role. Low personal agency may increase challenges for individuals with symptoms of BPD by exacerbating relationship difficulties. People in treatment for BPD may benefit from focusing on both relationship insecurity and its impact on their perceived personal control.

When Love Just Ends: An Investigation of the Relationship Between Dysfunctional Behaviors, Attachment Styles, Gender, and Education Shortly After a Relationship Dissolution

Much information is known about the long-term consequences of separation and divorce, whereas there is a paucity of studies about the short-term consequences of such experiences. This study investigates the adoption of dysfunctional behaviors (e.g., insistent telephone calls and text messages, verbal threats, and sending unwanted objects) shortly after a relationship dissolution. A total of 136 participants who declared to have been left by their former partner in the previous 6 months were included in this study (i.e., females: n = 84; males: n = 52; mean age = 30.38; SD = 4.19). Attachment styles were evaluated as explanatory variables when facing a relationship dissolution, in connection with a set of (1) demographic variables (i.e., gender, education, and current marital/relationship status), (2) dysfunctional behaviors, and (3) motivations on the basis of those behaviors. Results showed that a secure or dismissing attachment style, a higher education, and currently married (but awaiting separation) status were the protective factors in adopting such dysfunctional behaviors, while the preoccupied and fearful-avoidant subjects, especially females, tended to adopt dysfunctional behaviors (i.e., communication attempts and defamation) and reported fear of abandonment and need for attention as underlying motivations. Future study on longitudinal aspects of the relationship dissolution processes is required to have deeper insights into this phenomenon. This study sheds light on the relationship between adult attachment styles and the motivations behind the adoption of dysfunctional behaviors after a relationship dissolution.

Variables Associated with Loneliness: Schema Domains, Attachment and Love Attitudes

The aim of the present study is to examine whether the participants with low and high level of loneliness differ in terms of schema domains, adult attachment styles and love attitudes. Examining the mediator role of adult attachment styles and love attitudes between schema domains and loneliness is another aim of the study. The sample of this study consists of 231 participants (160 female, 71 male) between the ages of 17-51. The participants were given Demographic Information Form, along with UCLA Loneliness Scale, Young Schema Questionnaire Short Form, Experiences in Close Relationships Scale and Love Attitudes Scale. The obtained data were evaluated by t-test, Pearson correlation analysis and model test (Bootstrap). According to the results, participants with low and high level of loneliness differed significantly in terms of schema domains (disconection and rejection, impaired autonomy and performance, other directedness and overvigiliance and inhibition), adult attachment styles (anxious and avodiance) and love attitudes (Eros, Ludus and Mania). In model test results of the analysis, anxious attachment style mediates the relationship between other directedness schema domain and loneliness. It was concluded that individuals who have high scores in the other directedness schema domain have high Mania love attitudes and anxious attachment scores, and this situation increased the loneliness of the individuals. The findings are important in understanding the variables that may be associated with loneliness, which is common in society and creates problems in individuals' lives. Keywords: Loneliness, early maladaptive schemas, attachment style, love attitudes