1. Objectifs

Intentions :
The aim of this study is to examine «the associations among attachment insecurities and relationship commitment in a sample of relationally distressed monogamous couples […].» (p.249)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The authors «hypothesized that avoidance of intimacy would be positively associated with the individuals’ own under-commitment and negatively associated with their own optimal and over-commitment. [They] also hypothesized that attachment-related anxiety would be positively related to the individuals’ own under- and over-commitment, but negatively associated with their own optimal commitment. […] Individuals whose partner scored high on attachment-related avoidance or anxiety were expected to report higher under-commitment.» (p. 249)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«This study was part of a larger research project examining the effectiveness of couple therapy in a naturalistic setting. Only the cross-sectional pretreatment data were used for the current study. […] The sample included 154 mixed-sex (male/female) and 5 same-sex (female/female) Canadian couples seeking couple therapy in a private community-based clinic (N = 159 couples).» (p. 249)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«[R]esults suggest that avoidance of intimacy is negatively related to relationship commitment among distressed couples […]. As expected, [the authors] found that avoidant individuals reported higher under-commitment, lower optimal commitment, and lower over-commitment.» (p. 253) «[R]esults also indicate that attachment-related anxiety is primarily associated with the desire to maintain the relationship among relationally distressed couples. Consistent with previous research and as anticipated, anxiously attached individuals reported being overly committed, meaning that they were more likely to prioritize their relationship over other aspects of their lives and to perceive that they were making sacrifices for the relationship […].» (p. 254) «[R]esults suggest that individuals’ attachment insecurities are also related to their partners’ level of commitment. As expected, we found that individuals’ attachment- related anxiety was associated with their partner’s lower optimal commitment and higher under-commitment.» (p. 254) The authors also «found that anxious individuals were more optimally committed when their partner’s avoidance was very high.» (p. 255)