Shoulda’ Put a Ring on It: Investigating Adult Attachment, Relationship Status, Anxiety, Mindfulness, and Resilience in Romantic Relationships

Alexandra C.  Giufre; Aileen M.  Pidgeon

doi:10.4236/jss.2014.211005

Aileen M. Pidgeon, Alexandra C. Giufre^*

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the predictive ability of relationship status, anxiety, mindfulness, and resilience in relation to the two orthogonal dimensions of adult attachment: attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. 156 participants completed measures assessing relationship status, adult attachment, anxiety, mindfulness and resilience. The results showed that resilience and the relationship status of single significantly predicted attachment anxiety, whereas anxiety and being either single or divorced significantly predicted attachment avoidance. A significant mediating role of resilience in the prediction of attachment anxiety from being single was also observed. The main implications of this study provided preliminary support for the significant predictive value of resilience in attachment anxiety.

Keywords: Attachment, Romantic Relationships, Relationship Status, Anxiety, Mindfulness, Resilience

Cite this paper: Pidgeon, A. and Giufre, A. (2014) Shoulda’ Put a Ring on It: Investigating Adult Attachment, Relationship Status, Anxiety, Mindfulness, and Resilience in Romantic Relationships. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2, 32-40. doi: 10.4236/jss.2014.211005.

References

[1] Collins, W.A., Welsh, D.P. and Furman, W. (2009) Adolescent Romantic Relationships. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 631-652. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163459

[2] Mikulincer, B. and Shaver, P.R. (2007) Attachment in Adulthood: Structure, Dynamics, and Change. Guilford Press.

[3] Plessis, K.D., Clarke, D. and Woolley, C.C. (2007) Secure Attachment Conceptualisations: The Influence of General and Specific Relational Models on Conflict Beliefs and Conflict Resolution Styles. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 1, 25-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v1i1.3

[4] Assad, K.K., Donnellan, M.B. and Conger, R.D. (2007) Optimism: An Enduring Resource for Romantic Relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 285-297. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.93.2.285

[5] Wachs, K. and Cordova, J.V. (2007) Mindful Relating: Exploring Mindfulness and Emotion Repertoires in Intimate Relationships. Journal of Marital Family Therapy, 33, 464-481. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2007.00032.x

[6] Amato, P.R. (2000) The Consequences of Divorce for Adults and Children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 1269- 1287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.01269.x

[7] Schachner, D.A., Shaver, P.R. and Gillath, O. (2008) Attachment Style and Long-Term Singlehood. Personal Relationships, 15, 479-491. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2008.00211.x

[8] Bowlby, J. (1973) Attachment and Loss. Basic Books, New York.

[9] Daniel, S.I. (2006) Adult Attachment Patterns and Individual Psychotherapy: A Review. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 968-984. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2006.02.001

[10] Bartholomew, K. and Horowitz, L.M. (1991) Attachment Styles among Young Adults: A Test of a Four-Category Model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226-244. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.61.2.226

[11] Brennan, K.A., Clark, C.L. and Shaver, P.R. (1998) Self-Report Measurement of Adult Attachment: An Integrative Overview. In: Simpson, J.A. and Rholes, W.S., Eds., Attachment Theory and Close Relationships, Guilford Press, New York, 46-76.

[12] Wei, M., Russell, D.W., Mallinckrodt, B. and Vogel, D.L. (2007) The Experiences in Close Relationship Scale (ECR) —Short Form: Reliability, Validity, and Factor Structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 88, 187-204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00223890701268041

[13] Adamczyk, K. and Bookwala, J. (2013) Adult Attachment and Single vs. Partnered Relationship Status in Polish University Students. Psychological Topics, 22, 481-500. Retrieved from Adult Attachment and Single vs. Partnered Relationship Status in Polish University Students—ProQuest.

[14] Collins, N.L. and Read, S.J. (1990) Adult Attachment, Working Models, and Relationship Quality in Dating Couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 644-663. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.58.4.644

[15] Noftle and Shaver (2006).

[16] Whisman, M.A. (2007) Marital Distress and DSM-IV Psychiatric Disorders in a Population-Based National Survey. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116, 638-643. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.116.3.638

[17] Barnes Brown, Krusemark, Campbell and Roggee (2007).

[18] Leigh, J. and Anderson, V.N. (2013) Secure Attachment and Autonomy Orientation May Foster Mind-fulness. Contemporary Buddhism: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 14, 265-283. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14639947.2013.832082

[19] Baer, R.A., Smith, G.T., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J. and Toney, L. (2006) Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness. Assessment, 13, 27-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1073191105283504

[20] Walach, H., Buchheld, N., Buttenmuller, V., Kleinknecht, N. and Schmidt, S. (2006) Measuring Mindfulness—The Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI). Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 1543-1555. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.11.025

[21] Caldwell and Shaver (2012).

[22] Connor, K.M. and Davidson, J.R. (2003) Development of a New Resilience Scale: The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Depression and Anxiety, 18, 76-82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/da.10113

[23] Cohen, J. (1998) Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioural Sciences. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale.

[24] Baron and Kenny (1986).

[25] Sobel, M.E. (1982) Asymptotic Confidence Intervals for Indirect Effects in Structural Equation Models. In: Leinhardt, S., Ed., Sociological Methodology, American Sociological Association, Washington DC, 290-312.