Attached to Technology: Exploring Young Adults’ Attachments to Parents, Partners, and Phones

Cell phone use has become a mainstay in the lives of young adults, with 93% of Millennials owning a smartphone. With the increased accessibility of technology, individuals’ cell phone use may lead to personal distress in various facets of life. Specifically, problematic cell phone use may be the result of attempts to fulfill emotional needs or avoid connection with others. The present study used a systemic, attachment-based lens to investigate the roles of parental and romantic attachment in problematic cell phone use. A sample of 479 young adults (ages 18–26) completed an online survey gauging their cell phone use and attachment styles. Mediation analyzes were run to determine if adult attachment mediates the relationship from parental attachment to problematic cell phone use. The results found that attachment anxiety mediates the relationship between communication and alienation subscales for mother and alienation only for father to problematic cell phone use. Clinical implications are discussed with results informing assessment, prevention, and intervention efforts for individuals, families, and couples.

INFLUENCE OF ATTACHMENT STYLES AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE INTERACTION ON MARITAL SATISFACTION AMONG MARRIED COUPLES

Emotion, both positive and negative, is one of the markers of intimate relationships. Attachment theory is one of the primary conceptual frameworks for understanding emotion regulation. There is a well-established link in the literature between secure romantic attachment style and emotional intelligence (EI) in scientic studies. The underlying processes of this link among couples are notably less explored in the Indian context. As an attempt to bridge the gap, the present study analyzed the inuence of attachment styles and EI interplay on marital satisfaction among Indian couples. The study considered 304 respondents (152 females, 152 males, ranged from -25 to 65+ years old) with a marriage duration greater than three years. To assess participants attachment styles, EI, and marital satisfaction, Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS; Collins, 1996), Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue; Petrides, 2009) and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMS; Fowers & Olson, 1993) were used respectively. Two-way ANOVA was used to analyse the data. The result revealed that there is a signicant interaction between attachment styles and global EI on marital satisfaction. Psychotherapists and counsellors in general, and couple therapists in particular, will benet from the current research. Considering the limitation of the study, further investigation is recommended.

Romantic Attachment and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation on Dyadic Adjustment: A Comprehensive Literature Review

In romantic relationships, individual differences are determinant factors for relational quality. Specifically, romantic attachment (RA) and difficulties in emotional regulation influence each other and may have predictive potential for the perceived dyadic adjustment (DA) level. This paper aims to identify the developmental parallel between behavioral patterns built since childhood and the construction of the emotional regulation skills that characterize them. Our analysis was based on the attachment theory and the concepts of romantic relationship and DA. In this way, we sought to further the understanding of relationship dynamics, beyond the usual focus on a single element and on associative relationships, and by exploring other effects among the different dimensions of relational functioning. In particular, we explored the predictive ability of emotional regulation patterns (more flexible individual characteristics) in discriminating between RA styles (more perennial influences), and their impact on the quality of romantic relationships, in the anticipation of dyadic adjustment variations.

Gender-related romantic attachment and serum oxytocin level difference in adult patients with obsessive compulsive disorder

Background Given the scarcity of data on gender-related romantic attachment changes and the potential role of oxytocin (OT) in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive illness (OCD), the current study aimed to assess gender-related differences in romantic attachment characteristics and their relationship to serum oxytocin in a set of forty OCD cases compared with a similar group of healthy controls .Simultaneously examining the gender differences in serum oxytocin levels in OCD patients, the diagnosis of OCD patients was determined using DSM-5 criteria, and the severity of OCD was determined using the Y-BOCS rating scale. All of the patients were drug-free and not depressed. The romantic attachment was assessed using the “Experiences in Close Relationship” Questionnaire. Standard ELISA kits were used to assess plasma OT levels. Results Regarding romantic attachments, patients with obsessive compulsive disorder scored higher on the anxiety and avoidance domains than controls with no significant gender difference. Serum oxytocin was higher in patients with OCD than in healthy controls, indicating a possible underlying pathophysiology of the illness. Also, there was a significant gender difference, with female patients having higher serum oxytocin and symptoms severity being negatively associated. Conclusions Taken together, these findings propose that OT may play a role in OCD pathophysiology with gender specificity. Also, OCD associated with insecure romantic attachment.

Exploring Insecure Romantic Attachment and Justifications for the Use of Intimate Partner Psychological Aggression in Couples

The attachment theory has commonly been used to examine intimate partner psychological aggression (IPPA), but few studies have examined its association with self-reported justifications for one’s own use of IPPA. Behaviors, including the use of IPPA, are influenced, maintained, and function within the context of their justifications, highlighting the importance of investigating these justifications to obtain a clearer picture of IPPA. This study examined whether insecure romantic attachment (i.e., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) in both partners of a couple was associated with their justifications for their own use of IPPA. A community sample of 81 mixed-sex couples who reported using IPPA in the last year completed self-reported questionnaires on adult romantic attachment and their justifications for their use of IPPA. Results of a path analysis based on the actor-partner interdependence model revealed moderate positive associations between attachment anxiety and one’s use of internal and external justifications for their IPPA perpetration in men and women. An unexpected dyadic positive association is discussed. These results suggest that the use of justifications for one’s use of IPPA may reflect a strategy of hyperactivation that could contribute to the cycle of psychological aggression. Uncovering the function of these justifications could provide important therapeutic benefits, which are discussed in the study’s implications.

Developmental Trajectories of Adult Romantic Attachment: Assessing the Influence of Observed Interactions With Family of Origin

The present study evaluates longitudinal trajectories of adult romantic attachment during adulthood using latent growth curve modeling. We also tested how observed family interactions were related to trajectories of attachment-related anxiety and avoidance from ages 25 to 31 years (on average). Stability coefficients for attachment variables across 6 years were around .50. Growth modeling results suggested that people tend to become less anxious as they mature into adulthood and that there were individual differences in changes during this period. Although family interaction quality in the adolescent years predicted levels of romantic attachment anxiety and avoidance in young adulthood, this association did not extend to changes in attachment between the ages of 25–31 years. Overall, it seems that attachment variables demonstrate some degree of consistency over time even as the average trend is for declines in anxiety. Moreover, adolescent interactions with parents were not strong predictors of changes in attachment during adulthood. This is consistent with the view that family relationships during adolescence are associated more strongly with the stable components of attachment rather than dynamic aspects in adulthood.

Romantic and parental attachment, psychosocial risk, and personal agency in emerging adulthood

This study focuses on emerging adults’ personal agency, an individual feature associated with enhanced adaptive and resilient developmental trajectories. The two objectives were to explore the role of demographic, psychosocial risk, and relational factors in predicting personal agency and analyze whether romantic attachment mediates the connection between parental attachment and personal agency. The sample consisted of 607 Portuguese emerging adults aged between 18 and 30 years. Structural equation modeling results suggest that men are more likely to exhibit higher levels of personal agency than women. Trustful romantic relations and good paternal emotional bonds are associated with greater personal agency, while dependent romantic relations and maternal relations, characterized by inhibition of exploration, are associated with lower personal agency. Moreover, in romantic relations, trust, unlike dependence, partially mediates the association between parental attachment and personal agency. These findings are discussed based on attachment and self-determination theories, considering the importance of secure relationships for agency and autonomy in personal actions. This study provides important evidence for the influencers and mediators of personal agency, contributing to a better understanding of this individual capacity.