Couple Emotional Experience: Effects of Attachment Anxiety in Low and High Structure Couple Interactions

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Family Therapy

Volume

38

Issue

3

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Publication Date

2-1-2016

First Page

340

Last Page

363

Abstract

This study used data from 63 heterosexual couples to investigate the effects of attachment anxiety and how they relate to emotional experience (i.e. psychophysiological distress and feelings towards a partner) in the context of two therapy-like conditions (low and high structure). We examined both the effect of an individual's anxiety on his/her own emotional experience (actor effects) and on the partner's experience (partner effects). During both interactional conditions, female partners of men higher in attachment anxiety experienced greater psychophysiological distress. In addition, men and women higher in attachment anxiety were not significantly different from others in terms of their feelings towards their partner during the low structure condition. However, their feelings were significantly more positive than others during the high structure condition, providing some evidence that attachment-based interventions can be especially useful for clients higher in attachment anxiety.

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