Spouses' attachment pairings predict neuroendocrine, behavioral, and psychological responses to marital conflict

Abstract

This research investigated how spouses' attachment styles jointly contributed to their stress responses. Newlywed couples discussed relationship conflicts. Salivary cortisol indexed physiological stress; observer-rated behaviors indexed behavioral stress; self-reported distress indexed psychological stress. Multilevel modeling tested predictions that couples including 1 anxious and 1 avoidant partner or 2 anxious partners would show distinctive stress responses. As predicted, couples with anxious wives and avoidant husbands showed physiological reactivity in anticipation of conflict: Both spouses showed sharp increases in cortisol, followed by rapid declines. These couples also showed distinctive behaviors during conflict: Anxious wives had difficulty recognizing avoidant husbands' distress, and avoidant husbands had difficulty approaching anxious wives for support. Contrary to predictions, couples including 2 anxious partners did not show distinctive stress responses. Findings suggest that the fit between partners' attachment styles can improve understanding of relationships by specifying conditions under which partners' attachment characteristics jointly influence individual and relationship outcomes.

Figure 1

The interaction between wives’ attachment anxiety and husbands’ attachment avoidance predicts cortisol patterns for wives. Wives’ anxiety and husbands’ avoidance are plotted at 1 standard deviation above and below their respective means.

Figure 2

The interaction between wives’ attachment anxiety and husbands’ attachment avoidance predicts cortisol patterns for husbands. Wives’ anxiety and husbands’ avoidance are plotted at 1 standard deviation above and below their respective means.

Figure 3

The interaction between wives’ attachment avoidance and husbands’ attachment anxiety predicts cortisol patterns for husbands. Wives’ avoidance and husbands’ anxiety are plotted at 1 standard deviation above and below their respective means.

Figure 4

The interaction between wives’ attachment anxiety and husbands’ attachment anxiety predicts cortisol patterns for wives. Wives’ anxiety and husbands’ anxiety are plotted at 1 standard deviation above and below their respective means.

Figure 5

The interaction between wives’ attachment anxiety and husbands’ attachment anxiety predicts cortisol patterns for husbands. Wives’ anxiety and husbands’ anxiety are plotted at 1 standard deviation above and below their respective means.

Figure 6

The interaction between wives’ attachment anxiety and husbands’ attachment avoidance predicts wives’ recognition of their husband’s concerns (observer-rated) during the conflict discussion. Husbands’ avoidance is plotted at 1 standard deviation above and below the mean.

Figure 7

The interaction between wives’ attachment anxiety and husbands’ attachment avoidance predicts husbands’ approach toward their wife (observer-rated) during the conflict discussion. Husbands’ avoidance is plotted at 1 standard deviation above and below the mean.

Figure 8

The interaction between wives’ attachment anxiety and husbands’ attachment avoidance predicts husbands’ subjective distress in anticipation of the conflict discussion. Husbands’ avoidance is plotted at 1 standard deviation above and below the mean.

Figure 9

The interaction between wives’ attachment avoidance and husbands’ attachment anxiety predicts wives’ subjective distress during the conflict discussion. Husbands’ anxiety is plotted at 1 standard deviation above and below the mean.

Figure 10

The interaction between wives’ attachment avoidance and husbands’ attachment anxiety predicts husbands’ subjective distress during the conflict discussion. Husbands’ anxiety is plotted at 1 standard deviation above and below the mean.