Attachment Behaviors as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Disapproval and Relationship Satisfaction

• Main Author: Drean, Lauren
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2015
• Subjects: attachment behaviors; approval; relationship satisfaction; Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5675; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6674&context=etd

Both approval and disapproval of one's social network have been shown to predict relationship outcomes. Additional research has shown that attachment can buffer the negative effects of various factors (e.g., depression) on relationships. This thesis researches the effects of disapproval of friends and family and attachment on relationship outcomes. More specifically this study looks at the potential moderating effects of couple-specific attachment behaviors on the relationship between social network disapproval and relationship quality. The RELATE data set was used to study couples and their relationship quality. The study looked at 858 married couples and found that one's own attachment behaviors moderate their own family disapproval on their own relationship quality for both men and women. Own attachment behaviors also moderated own friend's disapproval on own relationship quality for men and women. Partner's attachment behaviors moderate own friend's disapproval on own relationship quality for men and women; the main effect of partner's friends and family disapproval became non-significant with that test. The findings give evidence that attachment behaviors of both partners play a role in buffering the negative effects of the lack of social approval on relationship outcomes.