Latent profile analysis of interpersonal problems: Attachment, basic psychological need frustration, and psychological outcomes.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this project was to identify distinct profiles of circumplex interpersonal problems, cross-validate the profiles, and examine construct validity through associations with adult attachment, basic psychological needs frustration, and psychological outcomes. Undergraduates at two universities provided survey data. In Study 1 (N = 469), latent profile analysis identified three distinct profiles of interpersonal problems. We labeled these Flexible-Adaptive, Exploitable-Subservient, and Hostile-Avoidant. Construct validity analyses suggested the Flexible-Adaptive profile was distinguished from the other two by lower attachment anxiety, whereas the Hostile-Avoidant profile was distinguished from the other two by higher attachment avoidance. In Study 2 (N = 423), we conducted profile similarity analyses to cross-validate Study 1 results, following the multistep procedure proposed by Morin et al. (Organizational Research Methods, 2016, 19, p. 231). Results suggested that when the data from Study 2 were constrained to fit the profile model derived from Study 1, with respect to means, variance, and latent profile membership, the model fit was equivalent. In Study 2, further evidence of construct validity suggested that the Flexible-Adaptive profile was distinguished from the other two by lower relatedness frustration and by lower competence frustration. Additionally, the Hostile-Avoidant profile was distinguished from the Exploitable-Subservient profile by higher relatedness need frustration. Validity evidence for these profiles indicated that those with the Hostile-Avoidant profile reported the most negative psychological outcomes, followed by those with the Exploitable-Subservient profile, while those with the Flexible-Adaptive profile reported the best psychological outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).