Arthritis and Support Seeking Tendencies: The Role of Attachment

Abstract

in light of inconsistent findings between attachment and support seeking, this research explored how attachment style ratings with three distinct attachment figures-parents, best friends, and romantic partners-mediated the association between arthritis severity and the seeking of care. in Study 1 these associations were investigated with a group of adolescents (n = 41), and in Study 2 these relationships were further investigated with a group of middle-aged adults (n = 68). in both studies, significant differences were found in attachment style ratings across the three attachment figures. Furthermore, attachment style was found to mediate the relationship between arthritis severity and emotional and instrumental support seeking. these effects were moderated by type of attachment relationship. in Study 1, attachment style specific to all three attachment figures mediated this relationship. in Study 2, only attachment style to a romantic partner mediated this association, while the extent to which attachment figures fulfilled attachment functions was associated with the care seeking tendencies.

Applying relationship science to evaluate how the COVID-19 pandemic may impact couples’ relationships.

“…Effective communication will be best achieved if couples can create situations that help facilitate this constructive approach, such as working through problems when partners are not depleted (e.g., not fatigued; Buck & Neff, 2012), approaching conflicts with openness and recognition of their partners’ efforts (Gottman, 1979; Overall et al, 2013), and taking a break if partners become overwhelmed or defensive (Gottman, 1979). Managing these challenges also will be easier if couples view themselves as a team, protecting each other from adversity (Karantzas & Cole, 2011).…”

A Net of Friends: Investigating Friendship by Integrating Attachment Theory and Social Network Analysis

“…In the few studies done to date, researchers have applied attachment theory to study various aspects of social networks such as people’s perceptions of their closeness to network members (e.g., Antonucci et al, 2004; Doherty & Feeney, 2004; Rowe & Carnelley, 2005). Most of these studies, however, have focused on a very specific type of social network—networks comprised of the people who fulfill one’s attachment needs for love, comfort, and security—termed attachment networks (e.g., Doherty & Feeney, 2004; Karantzas & Cole, 2011; Rowe & Carnelley, 2005) rather than on one’s broader network. For example, Rowe and Carnelley (2005) showed that secure individuals mapped network members as closer to themselves (on a bull’s eye diagram with the self in the center) as compared with insecure individuals.…”

Attachment and Psychological Health in Older Couples Coping with Pain

“…It is theorized that the attachment orientations of individuals facing stressors such as chronic pain have important consequences for their psychological health because attachment orientations are associated with differences in the ability to regulate distress (Meredith et al, 2008; Wei, Vogel, Ku, & Zakalik, 2005) and utilize social support (e.g., Kafetsios & Sideridis, 2006; Karantzas & Cole, 2011). Research shows that people with high anxious attachment tend to overreact to their negative feelings in order to elicit support from others and to ensure others’ availability, an emotion regulation strategy called hyperactivation (e.g., Cassidy & Kobak, 1988).…”