engleski

Relations between attachment, strategies for regulating one's own and others' emotions, and relationship satisfaction

The research objective was to investigate the relations between two attachment dimensions, strategies for regulating own, and managing others' emotions and satisfaction in a love relationship in male and female young adults. In total, N=128 participants noted that they were currently in a romantic relationship (but only one of the partners participated in this study) (75 female, 51 male, and two non-binary). Due to insufficient sample size of the third category, only answers of female and male participants were analyzed (age: range 18-29, M=22.9, SD=2.47 ; duration of the current relationship: 6 months–11 years and one month ; M=30.3 months, SD=25.93). The two attachment dimensions (avoidance and anxiety) were measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, two self-regulation emotion strategies (reappraisal and suppression) were measured using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, four strategies for regulating others' emotions were measured using the Interpersonal Emotion, Management Scale, while relationship satisfaction was measured using The Quality of Marriage Index. The results of this study showed somewhat different patterns of correlations in male and female participants after the duration of the current relationship was controlled for (partial correlations). The relationship satisfaction in male participants was lower for the ones with pronounced attachment avoidance dimension (r=-.42 ; p=.002) and those who tend to suppress their partner's emotions (r=-.29 ; p=.039), while it is higher for the ones who tend to react to their partner's emotions with reappraisal attempts (r=29 ; p=.038). For female participants, the relationship satisfaction was related only to their attachment dimensions: avoidance (r=-41 ; p<.001) and anxiety (r=-.53 ; p<.001). In both males and females, the attachment avoidance dimension was related to the tendency to suppress one's own emotions (r=.35 ; p=.013 for males, r=.41 ; p<.001 for females). Males' attachment anxiety dimension relates to a more pronounced tendency to manage their partner's emotions by modifying relevant situations (r=.30 ; p=.037), while females' attachment anxiety relates to a higher tendency to suppress their own emotions (r=.23 ; p=.047). Male participants showed quite higher congruency in employing particular group of regulation strategies (e.g. strategies focused on antecedent of emotions) then female participants. The results are discussed concerning possible skills transfer, flexibility in using strategies, and methodological limitations and specifics of this study.

attachment dimensions, intrapersonal emotion regulation, interpersonal emotion regulation, relationship satisfaction

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