Adult attachment orientations and well-being during the transition to parenthood

Abstract

In this article, we discuss theory and research on how people who have different adult romantic attachment orientations fare across one of life's often happiest, but also most chronically stressful, events-the transition to parenthood. We first discuss central principles of attachment theory and then review empirical research revealing how two types of attachment insecurity-anxiety and avoidance-tend to prospectively predict unique patterns of relational and personal outcomes across this often challenging life event. We also suggest how many of these findings can be understood within a diathesis-stress process model that has guided our own research on the transition to parenthood.

Romantic attachment, dyadic coping, and parental adjustment across the transition to parenthood

“…This study contributes to existing perinatal research by providing an initial understanding of the unexplored links between romantic attachment and common DC, as well as between this dyadic process and parenting stress and parental confidence. Specifically, examining the relationships between these variables together in a mediational model provides a comprehensive picture of potential mechanisms explaining the effects of romantic attachment avoidance on early parental adjustment and thus adds evidence to the Attachment Diathesis‐Stress Process Model (Simpson & Rholes, ). Other important strengths of this study are its prospective longitudinal design, which allowed examining one possible way in which attachment and dyadic processes may operate together to influence couples' adjustment in the long term.…”

“…Given the well‐known negative repercussions of high parenting stress and low parental confidence on parental and child outcomes (Crnic & Low, ; Jones & Prinz, ), it is important to better understand how insecure attachment is associated with parenting stress and parental confidence during the first year postpartum. Romantic attachment is likely to influence how each partner interacts with one another after childbirth (Howard, ; Simpson & Rholes, ) and is linked to common dyadic coping (common DC), the skill of coping together as a couple with a shared external stressor (Bodenmann, ; Bodenmann, Falconier, & Randall, ). Hence, the current study aims to explore whether common DC mediates the association between insecure attachment and parenting stress or parental confidence.…”

“…Individuals who score low on both dimensions are considered to have more secure representations in their romantic relationships (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, ; Simpson & Rholes, ). According to the Attachment Diathesis‐Stress Process Model (Simpson & Rholes, ), attachment insecurity is likely to become more pronounced during the transition to parenthood (in response to stress‐inducing events) and operates as a diathesis that influences attachment behaviors and perceptions of the partner, which in turn lead to negative interpersonal and intrapersonal outcomes. Consistent with this, attachment representations have been linked to parenting appraisals, behaviors, and emotions (Jones et al, ).…”

The Multiple Determinants of Maternal Parenting Stress 12 Months After Birth: The Contribution of Antenatal Attachment Style, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Infant Temperament

“…Another related limitation is that the present study did not include fathers. Future studies should include fathers as well as mothers in order to study how the association between attachment style, mental health and parenting stress may differ between parents, and how one partner’s attachment style may moderate changes in the other partner’s attachment style across the transition to parenthood ( Simpson et al, 2003 ; Simpson and Rholes, 2018 ).…”

Self-reported reflective functioning mediates the association between attachment insecurity and well-being among psychotherapists

“…According to the attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969), the quality of early interactions with caregivers leads to development of secure or insecure attachment that in turn may be characterized by two main dimensions, namely attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998;Tasca et al, 2018). Individuals with higher attachment avoidance tend to establish and maintain independence, control and autonomy, as well as deactivate emotions and limit emotional experiences during their life and in romantic relationships (Cassidy & Kobak, 1988;Mikulincer & Shaver, 2016;Simpson & Rholes, 2018). Conversely, individuals with higher attachment anxiety show difficulties in regulating their negative emotions and in trusting others, and with recurrent feeling or fear of being abandoned in intimate relationships (Mikulincer, 1995;Mikulincer & Shaver, 2016).…”