Should I Stay or Should I Go? Relationship satisfaction and the influence of attachment

• Romantic relationships have been argued to function as attachment relationships, and the level of satisfaction with the relationship have been associated with one’s attachment style. Both attachment avoidance and anxiety have shown to be reliable predictors of relationship dissatisfaction. In this study, which were part of a screening process for couples’ therapy, 660 participants (330 both heterosexual and homosexual couples) completed a questionnaire regarding their attachment style (Experience of Close Relationships) and relationship satisfaction (Dyadic Adjustment Scale). Through structural equation modelling we found that relationship satisfaction was linked to both attachment avoidance (? = -.26) and anxiety (? = -.15) of one own, but only to partner avoidance (? = -.12). These findings are to some extent contradictory to previous research regarding the effect of partner attachment, by showing that specifically avoidance but not anxiety is linked to dissatisfaction.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

attachment

romantic relationships

psykologi

Psychology

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)