"I can't escape!": Avoidantly attached individuals' conflict resolution and relationship satisfaction before and during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Increased time spent together and the lockdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic may have created new scenarios for marital conflict. We analyzed how home confinement affects avoidantly attached individuals': (a) resolution strategies to cope with couple conflict, (b) perception of partner's resolution strategies, and (c) overall relationship satisfaction. The sample comprised 549 individuals, divided into two subsamples: (a) the confined group, individuals confined with their partners (n = 275); and (b) the comparison group, coupled individuals from a dataset collected before the pandemic (n = 274). Results indicate that the proposed model works in different contexts (non-confinement and confinement situations), but there are some significant differences in the magnitude of some of the relationships between the variables, being stronger in the confinement group than in the comparison group. In the confined group, in individuals with avoidant attachment, withdrawal was associated with lower relationship satisfaction and a higher demand partner perceived to a higher extent than in the comparison group. This might explain the lower satisfaction with the relationship of the confined group. The different conflict resolution strategies of the couple mediated between avoidant attachment and relationship satisfaction in both groups (confined and comparison). It is concluded that individuals' attachment orientation is a key factor in how individuals experienced their close relationships during the confinement.

Avoidant Attachment, Withdrawal-Aggression Conflict Pattern, and Relationship Satisfaction: A Mediational Dyadic Model.

This study was conducted with the purpose of analyzing the combined and mediating effect of actor's withdrawal-partner's demand conflict resolution strategies between avoidance attachment dimension and relationship satisfaction. We conducted a dyadic study with 175 heterosexual couples (aged between 18 and 72 years) who filled in the questionnaires. Six hypotheses were tested using the actor-partner interdependence model with mediation analysis (APIMeM). Results showed that the avoidance dimension of attachment was more strongly associated with actor's withdrawal strategy than with demand/aggression strategy. Furthermore, avoidance attachment was negatively associated with both actor's and partner's relationship satisfaction, the actor effect being higher. Withdrawal strategy was a mediator between actor's avoidance and actor's relationship satisfaction, but it was not a mediator for partner's relationship satisfaction. The interactive pattern of actor's withdrawal-partner's demand/aggression was associated with low levels of both actor's and partner's relationship satisfaction. These results point out to the need of discerning the interactive pattern of conflict-solving strategies as well as their intertwined effect on relationship satisfaction.

Attachment, Conflict Resolution, Marital Satisfaction, and Culture in Women / Apego, Resolución de Conflictos, Satisfacción Marital, y Cultura en Mujeres

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare levels of attachment, conflict resolution strategies and marital satisfaction in women from Israel, United States, Turkey, and Spain (N = 343). A sample of individuals involved in a romantic relationship at ages 18-68 (M = 35.4, SD = 11.83) completed measures of attachment dimensions, conflict resolution strategies, and marital satisfaction. Tucker Phi coefficients revealed the same structure of the scales across all countries. Mean comparisons were used. Differences were observed among women from Israel, Turkey, USA, and Spain in attachment (avoidant and anxiety), as well as in own conflict resolution strategies and in perception of partner's conflict resolution strategies. In individualistic countries, women reported using conflict withdrawal to a higher extent. Women from collectivistic cultures showed higher levels of avoidant attachment and of use of demand strategy. No cultural differences in women's marital satisfaction were observed. Results are discussed in light of the combined possible effects of cultural dimensions and individual variables.

Resumen El objetivo de este estudio fue comparar los niveles de apego, las estrategias de resolución de conflicto y la satisfacción marital en mujeres de diferentes países. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 343 mujeres (13.4% Turquía, 14.3% EE.UU, 25.1% Israel y 47.2% España) cuyas edades oscilaban entre 18 y 68 años (M = 35.4, SD = 11.83). Las mujeres completaron una serie de cuestionarios de auto-registro que evaluaban las dimensiones de apego, estrategias de resolución de conflicto (percibidos en uno mismo y en la pareja) y la satisfacción marital. El análisis de equivalencia estructural reveló que existe la misma estructura interna en los países del estudio en todas las escalas (Tucker Phi > 0.90). Para analizar las diferencias culturales entre las variables se llevó a cabo una comparación de medias con análisis de varianza (ANOVA). Los resultados obtenidos muestran que existen diferencias entre los países tanto en las dimensiones del apego inseguro (ansiedad y evitación) como en las estrategias de resolución de conflictos percibidas en uno mismo y en la pareja. Por el contrario, no existen diferencias significativas entre las mujeres de diferentes países en satisfacción marital (F (3,339) = 0.56, p = 0.65). Las mujeres de culturas colectivistas son las que mayor puntuación obtienen en la dimensión evitativa del apego. En cuanto a las estrategias de resolución de conflictos, se encontró que aquellas mujeres de países más individualistas son las que obtienen puntuaciones más elevadas de evitación del conflicto, mientras que aquellas mujeres de países colectivistas se perciben así mismas como más demandantes. Las mujeres españolas perciben en mayor medida que sus parejas solucionan positivamente los conflictos, seguidas de Israel, Turquía y EE.UU. En cuanto a la satisfacción marital, las mujeres de culturas femeninas (España y Turquía) obtuvieron mayor puntuación en comparación a culturas masculinas (Estados Unidos e Israel).