Predictors of caregiving in adult intimate relationships: an attachment theoretical perspective

Romantic couples (N = 194) participated in an investigation of caregiving processes in adulthood. In Phase 1, couple members completed questionnaires designed to identify attachment style differences in caregiving behavior and to explore the underlying (personal and relationship) mechanisms that lead people with different attachment styles to be effective or ineffective caregivers. Results revealed that social support knowledge, prosocial orientation. interdependence, trust, and egoistic motivation mediated the link between attachment style and caregiving. In Phase 2, responsive caregiving was assessed behaviorally by exposing one member of the couple to a stressful laboratory situation and experimentally manipulating his or her need for support. Results revealed that attachment style and mediating mechanisms identified in Phase 1 also predicted observable support behavior in a specific episode in which a partner had a clear need for support.

A safe haven: an attachment theory perspective on support seeking and caregiving in intimate relationships

This study used an attachment theoretical framework to investigate support-seeking and caregiving processes in intimate relationships. Dating couples (N = 93) were videotaped while one member of the couple (support seeker) disclosed a personal problem to his or her partner (caregiver). Results indicated that when support seekers rated their problem as more stressful, they engaged in more direct support-seeking behavior, which led their partners to respond with more helpful forms of caregiving. Responsive caregiving then led seekers to feel cared for and to experience improved mood. Evidence for individual differences was also obtained: Avoidant attachment predicted ineffective support seeking, and anxious attachment predicted poor caregiving. Finally, couples in better functioning relationships engaged in more supportive interactions, and participants' perceptions of their interaction were biased by relationship quality and attachment style.

A safe haven: an attachment theory perspective on support seeking and caregiving in intimate relationships

This study used an attachment theoretical framework to investigate support-seeking and caregiving processes in intimate relationships. Dating couples (N = 93) were videotaped while one member of the couple (support seeker) disclosed a personal problem to his or her partner (caregiver). Results indicated that when support seekers rated their problem as more stressful, they engaged in more direct support-seeking behavior, which led their partners to respond with more helpful forms of caregiving. Responsive caregiving then led seekers to feel cared for and to experience improved mood. Evidence for individual differences was also obtained: Avoidant attachment predicted ineffective support seeking, and anxious attachment predicted poor caregiving. Finally, couples in better functioning relationships engaged in more supportive interactions, and participants' perceptions of their interaction were biased by relationship quality and attachment style.

Effects of adult attachment and presence of romantic partners on physiological responses to stress

The effects of presence vs. absence of a romantic partner on psychophysiological responses to a stressful laboratory situation were examined in a sample of 35 college women involved in serious dating relationships. Participants performed a standard psychological stress task both in the presence and in the absence of their romantic partners, with order counterbalanced across participants. Heart rate and blood pressure were measured in each of these conditions during both baseline and task performance periods. Avoidant (but not secure) and anxious (but not nonanxious) participants displayed heightened physiological responses across all conditions and periods if the partner-absent condition came first rather than second. Discussion focuses on 2 explanations for the findings in terms of (a) the anxiety-reducing function of attachment relationships and (b) the anxiety-producing effect of separation in a stressful situation.

Effects of adult attachment and presence of romantic partners on physiological responses to stress

The effects of presence vs. absence of a romantic partner on psychophysiological responses to a stressful laboratory situation were examined in a sample of 35 college women involved in serious dating relationships. Participants performed a standard psychological stress task both in the presence and in the absence of their romantic partners, with order counterbalanced across participants. Heart rate and blood pressure were measured in each of these conditions during both baseline and task performance periods. Avoidant (but not secure) and anxious (but not nonanxious) participants displayed heightened physiological responses across all conditions and periods if the partner-absent condition came first rather than second. Discussion focuses on 2 explanations for the findings in terms of (a) the anxiety-reducing function of attachment relationships and (b) the anxiety-producing effect of separation in a stressful situation.