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

Abstract

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.