Annotated bibliography: Attachments and adults

Adams, R. D., & Baptist, J. A. (2012). Relationship Maintenance

Behavior and Adult Attachment: An Analysis of the ActorPartner Interdependence Model. American Journal Of
Family Therapy, 40(3), 230-244.
doi:10.1080/01926187.2011.605047
The authors, researchers at Kansas State University
Manhattan, used data to establish the associations of wives and
husbands in their use of maintenance behaviors and the levels of
attachment insecurity, doing so using APIM. The study found
higher levels of secure attachment were associated with shared
partnership and responsibility, thus showing optimistic promoted
behavior. Those lacking secure attachment were indicated to be
able to get help with their relationship within a clinical setting,
such as threw couples couseling.
Abstract from author:
Associations between relationships maintenance behaviors
(positivity, openness, assurances, and sharing tasks) and anxious
and avoidant attachment were examined in 265 married couples.
Using structural equation modeling to employ the actor-partner
interdependence model, the use of positivity, assurances, and
sharing tasks were found to be negatively associated with anxious
and avoidant attachment for both husbands and wives. Being open

and self-disclosing in marriage was not strongly associated with

attachment. Results indicated that the use of maintenance
behaviors in marriages could have the potential to foster increased
security in partners. Research and clinical implications are
discussed.
Coy, A. E., Green, J. D., & Davis, J. L. (2012). With or without
you: The impact of partner presence and attachment on
exploration. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology,
48(1), 411-415. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2011.08.008
The authors, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth
University, used data received from a questionnaire to see if a link
existed between anxiety and avoidance attachment in adults. This
data was received from 27 year old males who had been dating for
over six months, with final sample being a total of 143
participants, in which 60 were married. The study indicated
exploration for future studies which should include different
examinations of the different types of exploration.
Abstract from author:
Past research has examined the link of attachment anxiety and
avoidance with exploration in adults, though results have been
inconsistent and have relied primarily on self-reports. We
hypothesized that the presence of the attachment figure (i.e.,
romantic partner) would play a critical moderating role on

exploration duration and enjoyment. Eighty-six couples were

randomly assigned to explore alone or with the partner in order to
examine the moderating effect of partner presence on the effects of
individuals' anxiety and avoidance as well as the partner's anxiety
and avoidance. Consistent with hypotheses, there were significant
two-way interactions of partner presence with anxiety, avoidance,
and partner anxiety. When exploring alone, more (vs. less) anxious
individuals spent less time exploring and felt less positive affect.
When exploring with the partner, more (vs. less) avoidant
individuals spent less time exploring and felt less positive affect.
Individuals with more anxious partners felt more positive affect
after exploring alone than with the partner, whereas individuals
with more avoidant partners were not affected by the partner's
presence. Above and beyond individuals' attachment style, partner
presence and partner attachment style have implications for
exploratory behavior.
Dinero, R. E., Conger, R. D., Shaver, P. R., Widaman, K. F., &
Larsen-Rife, D. (2008). Influence of family of origin and
adult romantic partners on romantic attachment security.
Journal Of Family Psychology, 22(4), 622-632.
doi:10.1037/a0012506
The authors, researchers at Cazenovia College and
University of California (Davis), based this study on data taken

from the Family Transitions Project, a study that is on going and is

built from two earlier studies, concerning adolescence and their
families. The goal of this study is to test parent- child interactions
during adolescence and interactions between romantic partners,
which occur early in adulthood, that contribute to overall
attachment style. Although contribution can be seen the data used
was not intended to test for this study, which limits the use of
results found.
Abstract from author:
According to attachment theory, attachment style derives from
social experiences throughout the life span. The authors tested this
expectation by examining associations between the quality of
observed interaction patterns in the family of origin during
adolescence and self-reported romantic attachment style and
observed romantic relationship behaviors in adulthood (ages 25
and 27). Family and romantic relationship interactions were rated
by trained observers from video recordings of structured
conversation tasks. Attachment style was assessed with items from
D. W. Griffin and K. Bartholomews (1994a) Relationship Scales
Questionnaire. Observational ratings of warmth and sensitivity in
family interactions were positively related to similar behaviors by
romantic partners and to attachment security. In addition, romantic
interactions characterized by high warmth and low hostility at age

25 predicted greater attachment security at 27, after controlling for

attachment security at age 25. However, attachment security at age
25 did not predict later romantic relationship interactions after
controlling for earlier interactions. These findings underscore the
importance of close relationships in the development of romantic
attachment security but do not indicate that attachment security
predicts the quality of interactions in romantic relationships.
(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved)
Domingue, R., & Mollen, D. (2009). Attachment and conflict
communication in adult romantic relationships. Journal of
Social and Personal Relationships, 26(5), 678-696.
doi:10.1177/0265407509347932
The authors, researches at Texas Womans University, used
a sample of chosen couples who had been together over two years
couples included for this study were either both different and same
sex couples. The study focused on theoretical connections
occurring between attachment theory and communication between
partners. Three different questionnaires hypotheses were used,
however the method of recruitment made the sample less
ethnically diverse than planned, among this limitation were many
others.
Abstract from author:

This study explored the connections between adult attachment

styles (i.e., secure, preoccupied, fearful-avoidant, dismissing) and
communication patterns during conflict (i.e., mutual constructive,
demand-withdraw, mutual avoidance, and withholding).
Specifically, this study examined how the combination of both
partners attachment styles, or couple type (i.e., secure-secure,
secure-insecure, insecure-insecure), related to self-reported conflict
communication patterns. Couples had been together for at least two
years (i.e., in a dating, cohabitating engaged, or marital
relationship). Participants included 43 different-sex couples and 10
same-sex couples, who lived primarily in a large metropolitan area
in the southwestern US. Secure-secure couples reported the most
mutually constructive communication, while the insecure-insecure
couples group reported the most demand-withdraw and mutual
avoidance and withholding communication. Implications ns for
counseling with couples and families are discussed.
Feeney, J. A., & Noller, P. (1990). Attachment style as a predictor
of adult romantic relationships. Journal Of Personality And
Social Psychology, 58(2), 281-291. doi:10.1037/00223514.58.2.281
The authors, researchers at the University of Queensland in
Australia, used data collected from undergraduate students which
consisted of two thirds of participants being studied were between

the ages of 17-19. Data collected came from questionnaires which

aimed to determine attachment style, attachment history, and
mental models. The study supported findings on the perspective of
attachment theory in romantic love, by confirming the
characteristics of all three attachment styles. It is indicated those
with positive attachment are more successful in relationships and
have a greater relationship quality which would help in conducting
further research.
Abstract from author:
Questionnaire measures of attachment style, attachment history,
beliefs about relationships, self-esteem, limerence, loving, love
addiction, and love styles were administered to 374
undergraduates. Attachment style was related in theoretically
expected ways to attachment history and to beliefs about
relationships. Securely attached Ss reported relatively positive
perceptions of their early family relationships. Avoidant Ss were
most likely to report childhood separation from their mother and to
express mistrust of others. Anxious-ambivalent subjects were less
likely than avoidant Ss to see their father as supportive, and they
reported a lack of independence and a desire for deep commitment
in relationships. The self-esteem measure and each of the scales
measuring forms of love were factor analyzed separately. Analyses
based on scale scores derived from the resulting factors indicated

that attachment style was also strongly related to self-esteem and to

the various forms of love discussed in other theoretical frameworks
(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.)
Khaleque, A., Shirin, A., & Uddin, M. K. (2013). Attachment
relationships and psychological adjustment of married
adults. Social Indicators Research, 110(1), 237-244.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11205-011-9926-2
The authors, researchers at the University of Connecticut,
used data collected from samples of 355 married Bangladeshi
adults where the samples being taken came from home and place
of employment, in two cities. Four different questionnaires were
used to determine if remembered paternal acceptance as a child
and partner acceptance as an adult had effects that were
significantly independent on the psychological adjustment of
adults of both genders. Only with men did psychological
adjustment have an independent effect, in regards to maternal
acceptance. These results did match other cross-cultural research,
but this study had many limitations which restricted generalization
in terms of the findings.
Abstract from author:
The present study explored relations among remembered parental
(paternal and maternal) acceptance in childhood, spouse
acceptance and psychological adjustment of adults. It also explored

whether remembered childhood experiences of parental acceptance

mediate the relation between perceived spouse acceptance and
psychological adjustment. The sample consisted of 354 married
adult men (178) and women (176). Results showed that the more
accepting both men and women perceived their spouses to be, the
better was their psychological adjustment. Similarly, the more
accepting both men and women remembered their parents had
been to them during childhood, the better was their psychological
adjustment. Standard multiple regression analyses revealed that
paternal acceptance mediated the relation between perceived
spouse acceptance and the psychological adjustment of both men
and women. In addition, remembered maternal acceptance
mediated the relation between mens (but not womens) perceived
spouse acceptance and psychological adjustment.
Rholes, W. S., Simpson, J. A., Tran, S., Martin, A. M., &
Friedman, M. (2007). Attachment and Information Seeking
in Romantic Relationships. Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin, 33(3), 422-438.
doi:10.1177/0146167206296302
The authors, researchers at Texas A&M University and
University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, collected
information from two different studies which used data collected
from questionnaires. The focus was on anxious and highly

avoidant individuals and information seeking of these individuals

with their partner, concerning emotional bonds. The results
indicated these individuals to be people who stay unsatisfied in
their relationships, this relates to how they are more apt to pay
attention to qualities which are negative in their insecure partners.
Abstract from author:
Testing predictions derived from attachment theory, this research
investigated how adult attachment orientations are associated with
selective exposure to information about the self, ones partner, and
ones relationship. The results of two studies revealed that (a) more
avoidantly attached individuals have limited interest in knowing
their partners intimate thoughts and feelings, (b) more anxiously
attached individuals selectively prefer information on intimate
topics pertaining to their partner and relationship and focus on
information that highlights their own as well as their partners
shortcomings, and (c) regardless of attachment orientation,
individuals express interest in learning about the negative
relationship behaviors and characteristics of their insecurely
attached partners. These findings suggest that selective information
seeking may have important effects on relationships and may help
explain how attachment orientations affect important relationship
outcomes.