@article{ref1,
title="Insecure attachment, emotion dysregulation, and psychological aggression in couples",
journal="Journal of interpersonal violence",
year="2019",
author="Cheche Hoover, Rachel and Jackson, Jeffrey B.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="According to adult attachment theory, levels of insecure attachment-both anxious and avoidant-are associated with abilities to regulate emotions in a relational context. This study is the first to test emotion dysregulation as a mediator of the association between levels of insecure attachment and psychological aggression using dyadic data. Cross-sectional self-report data were collected from 124 couples presenting for couple or family therapy at an outpatient clinic. Path analysis was used to analyze an actor-partner interdependence mediational model. <br><br>RESULTS did not support emotion dysregulation mediating the association between level of anxious attachment and psychological aggression, or the association between level of avoidant attachment and psychological aggression. <br><br>RESULTS indicated a direct actor effect between level of anxious attachment and psychological aggression for women (β =.19, <i>p</i> =.045) and men (β =.19, <i>p</i> =.027). Direct partner effects between people's own levels of anxious attachment and their partners' psychological aggression for women (β =.28, <i>p</i> =.001) and men (β =.33, <i>p</i> =.001) were also identified. <br><br>RESULTS also indicated direct actor effects between anxious attachment and emotion dysregulation in both women (β =.51, <i>p</i> <.001) and men (β =.58, <i>p</i> <.001), whereas direct actor effects between avoidant attachment and emotion dysregulation were only identified among women (β =.32, <i>p</i> <.001). <br><br>RESULTS suggest that increasing partners' abilities to effectively manage their own maladaptive attachment-related behaviors may decrease levels of psychological aggression between partners. Limitations and clinical implications for couple therapists are discussed.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0886-2605",
doi="10.1177/0886260519877939",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260519877939"
}