engleski

Actor and partner effects of attachment on young couples' dyadic coping

Bowlby (1983) argued that the people’s attachment systems become activated whenever individuals feel threatened or distressed. In the romantic relationships, one’s partner is usually the main attachment figure and secure base in the times of stress. The aim of this research was to examine the effect of both actor and partner attachment on communication and dyadic coping that occurs when one or both partners are stressed. The Experiences in Close Relationship Inventory (ECR) - Short Version and Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI) were completed by 223 heterosexual couples married or cohabiting for at least 2 years (aged 20-40 years). With the use of dyadic analysis, actor and partner effects of two attachment dimensions (avoidance and anxiety) on the couples’ dyadic coping (supportive, delegated, negative, and joint) and stress communication were determined. Results indicated significant effects of both actor attachment dimensions and partner avoidance on supportive and negative coping behaviors, joint dyadic coping and evaluation of dyadic coping. The only exception was the level of anxiety in the female partner where no effect on dyadic coping was found. Also, the level of actor's avoidance had an effect on the actor's willingness to take over responsibilities to reduce their partner’s stress. Women's attachment dimensions had an effect on their perception of their partner's delegated dyadic coping while men's attachment did not. The results showed that people who are more avoidant are less prone to communicate their stress to their partners. In addition, actor's avoidance and anxiety, as well as partner's avoidance have showed significant effect on the person's perception of their partner's communication when he/she is feeling stressed

attachment dimensions ; dyadic coping ; stress communication

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