Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T22:12:05.982Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Attachment and Couple Satisfaction: The Mediating Effect of Approach and Avoidance Commitment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2013

Cathy Dandurand ,
Anne-Rose Bouaziz  and
Marie-France Lafontaine
Cathy Dandurand*
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Anne-Rose Bouaziz
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Marie-France Lafontaine
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Cathy Dandurand, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Satisfactory couple relationships are demonstrated to have a myriad of benefits. However, the ability to establish couple satisfaction is shown to be strongly and negatively impacted by insecure romantic attachment patterns (i.e., anxious and avoidant attachment). This study sought to gain an enhanced understanding of the aforementioned link by means of investigating a novel mediator model incorporating two facets of romantic commitment: approach commitment (the desire to maintain a relationship due to benefits inherent within this) and avoidance commitment (the desire to maintain a relationship to avoid potential losses resulting from relationship dissolution). Bootstrap analyses demonstrated that insecure attachments were differentially related to commitment goals, such that anxious attachment was related with higher approach and avoidance commitment. Conversely, while avoidant attachment was negatively linked with approach commitment goals, no relation was revealed with avoidance commitment goals. Additionally, results demonstrated that one's idiosyncratic commitment goals partially mediated the strongly established link between insecure attachment and couple satisfaction.

Keywords

coupleattachmentcommitmentsatisfactiongoals
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 4 , 25 October 2013 , e3
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alonso-Arbiol, I., Shaver, P.R., & Yarnoz, S. (2002). Insecure attachment, gender roles, and interpersonal dependency in the Basque Country. Personal Relationships, 9, 479–490. doi:10.1111/1475-6811.00030Google Scholar
Amato, P.R., & Sobolewski, J.M. (2001). The effects of divorce and marital discord on adult children's psychological well-being. American Sociological Review, 66, 900–921. doi:10.2307/3088878Google Scholar
Baron, R.M., & Kenny, D.A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173Google Scholar
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226–244. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.61.2.226Google Scholar
Bartholomew, K. (1993). From childhood to adult relationships: Attachment theory and research. In Duck, S. (Ed.), Learning about relationships (pp. 30–62). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Beach, S.R., & Tesser, A. (1988). Love in marriage: A cognitive account. In Sternberg, R.J. & Barnes, M.L. (Eds.), The psychology of love (pp. 330–355). New Haven: Yale University.Google Scholar
Birnie, C., McClure, M.J., Lydon, J.E., & Holmberg, D. (2009). Attachment avoidance and commitment aversion: A script for relationship failure. Personal Relationships, 16, 79–97. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2009.01211.xGoogle Scholar
Bouchard, G. (2006). Cohabitation versus marriage: The role of dyadic adjustment in relationship dissolution. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 46, 107–117. doi:10.1300/J087v46n01_06Google Scholar
Bowlby, J. (1969/1982). Attachment and loss: Vol 1. Attachment (2nd ed.). New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Brennan, K.A., Clark, C.L., & Shaver, P.R. (1998). Self-report measurement of adult attachment: An integrative overview. In Simpson, J.A., & Rholes, W.S. (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 46–76). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Carver, C.S., & White, T.L. (1994). Behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation, and affective responses to impending reward and punishment: The BIS/BAS Scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 319–333. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.67.2.319Google Scholar
Cate, R.M., Levin, L.A., & Richmond, L.S. (2002). Premarital relationship stability: A review of recent research. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 19, 261–284. doi:10.1177/0265407502192005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davila, J., & Bradbury, T.N. (1998). Psychopathology and the marital dyad. In L'Abate, L. (Ed.), Handbook of family psychopathology (pp. 127–157). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Davila, J., & Bradbury, T.N. (2001). Attachment insecurity and the distinction between unhappy spouses who do and do not divorce. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 371–393. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.15.3.371Google Scholar
DiFilippo, J.M., & Overholser, J.C. (2002). Depression, adult attachment and recollections of parental caring during childhood. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 190, 663–669. doi:10.1097/00005053-200210000-00002Google Scholar
Duemmler, S.L., & Kobak, R. (2001). The development of commitment and attachment in dating relationships: attachment security as relationship construct, Journal of Adolescence, 24, 401–415. doi:10.1006/jado.2001.0406Google Scholar
Efron, B. (1988). Bootstrap confidence intervals: Good or bad? Psychological Bulletin, 104, 293–296. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.104.2.293Google Scholar
Elizur, Y., & Mintzer, A. (2003). Gay males’ intimate relationship quality: The roles of attachment security, gay identity, social support, and income. Personal Relationships, 10, 411–435. doi:10.1111/1475-6811.00057Google Scholar
Feeney, J.A. (1999). Issues of closeness and distance in dating relationships: Effects of sex and attachment style. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 16, 571–590. doi:10.1177/0265407599165002Google Scholar
Feeney, J.A. (2002). Attachment, marital interaction, and relationship satisfaction: A diary study. Personal Relationships, 9, 39–55. doi:10.1111/1475-6811.00003Google Scholar
Feeney, J.A., & Noller, P. (1990). Attachment style as a predictor of adult romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 281–291. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.58.2.281Google Scholar
Feeney, J.A., & Noller, P. (1991). Attachment style and verbal descriptions of romantic partners. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 8, 187–215. doi:10.1177/0265407591082003Google Scholar
Fraley, A., & Shaver, P.R. (2000). Adult romantic attachment: Theoretical developments, emerging controversies, and unanswered questions. Review of General Psychology, 4, 132–154.Google Scholar
Frank, E., & Brandstatter, V. (2002). Approach versus avoidance: Different types of commitment in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 208–221. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.82.2.208Google Scholar
Gable, S.L. (2006). Approach and avoidance social motives and goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 175–222. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2005.00373.xGoogle Scholar
Gray, J.A. (1987). Perspectives on anxiety and impulsivity: A commentary. Journal of Research in Personality, 21, 493–509. doi:10.1016/0092-6566(87)90036-5Google Scholar
Gray, J.A. (1990). Brain systems that mediate both emotions and cognitions. Cognition and Emotion, 4, 269–288. doi:10.1080/02699939008410799Google Scholar
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P.R. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511–524. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511Google Scholar
Hayes, A.F. & Preacher, K.J. (2013). Statistical mediation analysis with a multicategorical independent variable (White paper). Retrieved from http://www.afhayes.com/Google Scholar
Johnson, M.P., Caughlin, J.P., & Huston, T.L. (1999). The tripartite nature of marital commitment: Personal, moral, and structural reasons to stay married. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 160–177. doi:10.2307/353891Google Scholar
Johnson, S.M., & Greenberg, L.S. (1985). Emotionally focused couples therapy: An outcome study. The Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 11, 313–317. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.1985.tb00624.xGoogle Scholar
Johnson, S.M., Hunsley, J., Greenberg, L., & Schindler, D. (1999). Emotionally focused couples therapy: Status and challenges. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6, 67–79. doi:10.1093/clipsy/6.1.67Google Scholar
Kurdek, L.A. (1991). The relations between reported well-being and divorce history, availability of a proximate adult, and gender. Journal of Marriage and Family, 53, 71–78. doi: 10.1177/0265407505056438Google Scholar
Lafontaine, M.-F., & Lussier, Y. (2003). Structure bidimensionnelle de l'attachement amoureux: Anxiété face à l'abandon et évitement de l'intimité [Bidimensional structure of attachment in love: Anxiety over abandonment and avoidance of intimacy]. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 35, 56–60. doi:10.1037/h0087187Google Scholar
Levinger, G. (1988). Can we picture ‘love’?. In Sternberg, R.J. & Barnes, M.L. (Eds.), The psychology of love (pp. 139–158). New Haven: Yale University.Google Scholar
MacKinnon, D.P., Fairchild, A.J., & Fritz, M.S. (2007). Mediation analysis. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 593–614. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085542Google Scholar
Mikulincer, M. (2006). Attachment, caregiving and sex within romantic relationships: A behavioral systems perspective. In Mikulincer, M. & Goodman, G.S. (Eds.), Dynamics of romantic love: Attachment, caregiving, and sex (pp. 23–44). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Mikulincer, M., & Erev, I. (1991). Attachment style and the structure of romantic love. British Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 273–291. doi:10.1111/j.20448309.1991.tb00946.xGoogle Scholar
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P.R. (2007). Attachment processes and couple functioning. In Mikulincer, M. & Shaver, P.R. (Eds.), Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change (pp. 290–323). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P.R., & Slav, K. (2006). Attachment, mental representation of others and gratitude and forgiveness in romantic relationships. In Mikulincer, M. & Goodman, G.S. (Eds.), Dynamics of romantic love: Attachment, caregiving, and sex (pp. 190–215). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Pistole, M.C., Clarke, E.M., & Tubbs, A.L. (1995). Love relationships: Attachment style and the investment model. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 17, 199–209. Retrieved December 6, 2010, from Academic Search Complete database.Google Scholar
Preacher, K.J., & Hayes, A.F. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research Methods, 36, 717–731. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15641418Google Scholar
Preacher, K.J., & Hayes, A.F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40, 879–891. doi:10.3758/BRM.40.3.879Google Scholar
Rholes, W.S., Simpson, J.A., & Friedman, M. (2006). Avoidant attachment and the experience of parenting. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 275–285. doi:1177/0146167205280910Google Scholar
Ridge, S.R., & Feeney, J.A. (1998). Relationship history and relationship attitudes in gay males and lesbians: Attachment style and gender differences. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 32, 848–859. doi:10.3109/00048679809073875Google Scholar
Roberts, N., & Noller, P. (1997). The associations between adult attachment and couple violence: The role of communication patterns and relationship satisfaction. In Simpson, J.A. & Rholes, W.S. (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 317–350). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Rusbult, C.E. (1980). Commitment and Satisfaction in Romantic Associations: A test of the investment model. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 16, 172–186. doi:1031/80/020172Google Scholar
Rusbult, C.E. (1983). A longitudinal test of the investment model: The development (and deterioration) of satisfaction and commitment in heterosexual involvements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 101–117. doi:10.1037/0022–3514.45.1.101Google Scholar
Rusbult, C.E., & Buunk, B.P. (1993). Commitment processes in close relationships: An interdependence analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 10, 175–204. doi:10.1177/026540759301000202Google Scholar
Sabourin, S., Valois, P., & Lussier, Y. (2005). Development and validation of a brief version of the Couple Satisfaction Scale with a nonparametric item analysis model. Psychological Assessment, 17, 15–27. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.17.1.15Google Scholar
Shaver, P.R., Hazan, C., & Bradshaw, D. (1988). Love as attachment: The integration of three behavioral systems. In Sternberg, R.J. & Barnes, M. (Eds.), The psychology of love (pp. 68–99). New Haven: Yale University.Google Scholar
Shaver, P.R., & Mikulincer, M. (2002). Attachment-related psychodynamics. Attachment and Human Development, 4, 133–161. doi.org/10.1080/14616730210154171Google Scholar
Spanier, G.B. (1976). Measuring couple satisfaction: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 38, 15–28. doi:10.2307/350547Google Scholar
Stanley, S.M., & Markman, H.J. (1992). Assessing commitment in personal relationships. Journal of Marriage & The Family, 54, 595–608. doi:10.2307/353245Google Scholar
Sternberg, R.J. (1986). A triangular theory of love. Psychological Review, 93, 19–135. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.93.2.119Google Scholar
Strachman, A. (2008). Approach and avoidance relationship commitment. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 68, 4892.Google Scholar
Strachman, A., & Gable, S.L. (2006). Approach and avoidance relationship commitment. Motivation and Emotion, 30, 117–126. doi:10.1007/s11031-006-9026-9Google Scholar
Treboux, D., Crowell, J.A., & Waters, E. (2004). When ‘New’ meets ‘Old’: Configurations of adult attachment representations and their implications for marital functioning. Developmental Psychology, 40, 295–314. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.40.2.295Google Scholar