Spouses’ attachment pairings predict neuroendocrine, behavioral, and psychological responses to marital conflict.

Abstract

This research investigated how spouses’ attachment styles jointly contributed to their stress responses. Newlywed couples discussed relationship conflicts. Salivary cortisol indexed physiological stress; observer-rated behaviors indexed behavioral stress; self-reported distress indexed psychological stress. Multilevel modeling tested predictions that couples including one anxious and one avoidant partner or two anxious partners would show distinctive stress responses. As predicted, couples with anxious wives and avoidant husbands showed physiological reactivity in anticipation of conflict: Both spouses showed sharp increases in cortisol, followed by rapid declines. These couples also showed distinctive behaviors during conflict: Anxious wives had difficulty recognizing avoidant husbands’ distress, and avoidant husbands had difficulty approaching anxious wives for support. Contrary to predictions, couples including two anxious partners did not show distinctive stress responses. Findings suggest that the fit between partners’ attachment styles can improve understanding of relationships by specifying conditions under which partners’ attachment characteristics jointly influence individual and relationship outcomes.

Feeling bad when your partner is away: The role of dysfunctional cognition and affect regulation strategies in insecurely attached individuals

“…Further, the current study focused only on one individual in a couple. Because partners in a romantic relationship are interdependent, interactions between partners are reciprocal and guided by both partners' attachment orientations (e.g., Beck, Pietromonaco, DeBuse, Powers, & Sayer, 2013;Overall & Simpson, 2015). As such, examining both partners would be an important area for future research.…”

A Correlation Study on Attachment Style and GPA of Students at an Alternative Education Center

“…As adults, these individuals when in relationships were obsessive, their emotions ran from high to low and they had extreme jealousy in their relationships with others (Hazan & Shaver, 1987). These individuals when faced with stressors draw attention to their distress and continually seek reassurance from their significant other (Beck et al, 2013). This tendency to lack confidence and worry about losing their significant other may come from their parents being inconsistent in their responses to them when they were younger (Gore & Rogers, 2010).…”

“…Because of the nature of the secure attachment infants grow to be independent, resilient optimistic and empathic individuals (Orlans & Levy, 2006). As adults when in relationships and faced with stressful situations they are able to retain their emotional wellbeing and rely on their significant other for comfort and support (Beck et al, 2013). Having the characteristics of being confidant and comfortable in relationship stems from having parents who were caring and responsive (Gore & Rogers, 2010).…”

“…Different from the anxious avoidant type individuals with an avoidant attachment style are uncomfortable relying on others and tend to rely on themselves exclusively. In order to deal with stress, they restrain their reactions to the stress (Beck et al, 2013). This tendency to withdraw from others stems from having parents that may have neglected them when they were younger (Gore & Rogers, 2010).…”

Tie-Up Cycles in Long-Term Mating. Part I: Theory

“…The fact that high oxytocin levels are observed during female orgasm [129] moreover suggests a possible neuroendocrine basis to understand why sexual intercourse is a powerful route to F-TU. Likewise, cortisol levels clearly mark marital conflict situations linked to TU-C frustrations [130]. More generally, Pietromonaco et al [131] show how attachment processes are regulated by the Hypotalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis in terms of stress responses, thus highlighting the existence of a specific neuroendocrine strategy for tackling attachment-related stressors.…”