We will talk about couple relationships, attachment, violence and
separation during a symposium organized by M onica Guzman at the
International Association for Relationship Research Conference 2016 TITLE OF SYMPOSIUM: THE ROLE OF ATTACHMENT IN COUPLE RELATIONSHIP FUNCTIONING: ESTABLISHMENT, INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE, AND ADJUSTMENT TO DIVORCE AND SEPARATION Overall summary: In the latest 25 years, Attachment Theory has become a very useful framework for understanding the formation of romantic relationships, their functioning, and the adjustment of partners to breakup and dissolution. Within this theoretical framework, this symposium aims to present four studies addressing the complex dynamics of different aspects of functioning of couple relationships. More specifically, themes as mate selection, the impact of exposure of early family violence, intimate partner violence, relationship satisfaction, as well as forgiveness in the adjustment to divorce process will be addressed.
When: July 21st, 1:30 PM
Where: International Association for Relationship Research Cinference 2016, Sheraton Center Toronto Hotel, Canada.
NATACHA GODBOUT, Ph.D.
Psychologist and Professor, Department of Sexology, University of Quebec in Montreal. Her research and clinical work centers around interpersonal trauma and psycho-relational outcomes in adulthood. Director of the Research and intervention unit on trauma and couple (TRACE) natachagodbout.com Member of the: CRIPCAS-Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse cripcas.ca EVISSA-Sexual Violence and Health Research Team martinehebert.uqam.ca/evissa GRIPA-Research and Intervention Team on Mindfulnes labunix.uqam.ca/gripa/wordpress
Natacha Godbout will be presenting the following oral communication:
FAMILY VIOLENCE, RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE AND SATISFACTION IN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE INDIVIDUALS: ROLE OF ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT Natacha Godbout, Marie-ve Daspe, Stphane Sabourin, Yvan Lussier, & Martine Hbert. Violence in romantic relationships is highly prevalent in adolescence and early adulthood, and related to a wide array of negative outcomes. Although the scientific literature increasingly highlights potential risk factors for the perpetration of violence toward a romantic partner, integrative models of these predictors remain scarce. Using an attachment framework, the current study examines the associations between early exposure to violence, perpetration of relationship violence, and relationship satisfaction. We hypothesized that exposure to family violence fosters the development of attachment anxiety and avoidance, which in turn predict relationship violence and low relationship satisfaction. At Time 1, a sample of 1252 (72.3% of women) adolescents and emerging adults was recruited in high schools and colleges and completed measures of exposure to family violence, attachment, perpetrated relationship violence and relationship adjustment. Three years later (Time 2), 234 participants agreed to engage in a follow-up. Structural equation modeling was used to test cross-sectional and longitudinal models. Findings suggest that exposure to family violence predicts relationship violence both directly and through attachment anxiety, whereas attachment avoidance and relationship violence are predictors of relationship satisfaction. Longitudinal analyses show that changes in romantic attachment are associated with changes in relationship violence and satisfaction. Results underline romantic attachment as a significant target for the prevention and treatment of violence in youth's intimate relationships.
When: July 21st, 1:30 PM
Where: International Association for Relationship Research Conference 2016, Sheraton Center Toronto Hotel, Canada.
Mnica Guzman, Ph.D.
Psychologist and Professor, Department of Psychology, Universidad Catlica del Norte. Her work focuses on attachment and relationship violence in heterosexual and same-sex couples. She is also interested in individual and family therapy, as well as human sexuality.
Mnica Guzman will be presenting the following oral communication
ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT TO DIVORCE AND SEPARATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF FORGIVENESS IN A SAMPLE OF CHILEAN ADULTS Mnica Guzmn, Diana Rivera, Lusmenia Garrido, & Paula Contreras . Despite there is evidence that romantic attachment is linked to adjustment to divorce and separation, the mechanisms explaining this association need further exploration. The current study sought to provide preliminary results of an ongoing research examining the mediating role of forgiveness toward the former partner in the association between romantic attachment and adjustment to divorce and separation. Previous literature suggests theoretical and empirical links separately. However, to our knowledge, no other study has investigated these variables in a more complex model, examining both the direct and indirect relationships among these variables. The sample included 193 chilean divorced or separated adults, who completed the Experiences in Close Relationship, the Forgiveness in Divorce and Separation Questionnaire, and the Psychological Adjustment to Separation Test. Preliminary results through structural equation modeling, showed that both, anxiety over abandonment and avoidance of intimacy were significantly and inversely associated to forgiveness towards the former partner. Forgiveness was also related to less difficulties in psychological adjustment following divorce. Only anxiety over abandonment had a direct effect on psychological adjustment, while the direct effect of avoidance of intimacy was not significant. Moreover, forgiveness toward the former partner significantly mediated the relationship between romantic attachment and psychological adjustment to divorce and separation.
When: July 21st, 1:30 PM
Where: International Association for Relationship Research Conference 2016, Sheraton Center Toronto Hotel, Canada.
Marie-France Lafontaine, Ph.D.
Psychologist and Professor, Department of Psycholoogy, University of Ottawa. Her research interests focuses on couple relationships (heterosexual and same-sex), romantic attachment, intimate partner violence, self-injury, telepsychotherapy, and family health. Diretctor of the Couple Reserahc Laboratory : http://socialsciences.uottawa.ca/couple-research/ Member-Collaborator of CRIPCAS-Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse cripcas.ca
Marie-France Lafontaine will be presenting the following oral communication
ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL AGGRESSION: A DYADIC INVARIANCE ACTOR-PARTNER INTERDEPENDENCE MODEL LONGITUDINAL APPROACH Marie-France Lafontaine, Alexandre Gareau, Christopher Edmondstone, & Yvan Lussier. This study sought to establish the association between romantic attachment and psychological aggression in longitudinally studied couples. Between-person (actor) and within-person (partner) effects were examined using the Actor-Partner Independence Model (APIM) for the analysis framework. A community sample completed the Experiences in Close Relationships and the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales on two occasions over the course of a year. The final sample consisted of 316 heterosexual married and cohabiting couples randomly selected from couples living together. This sample was derived through a software program that generated random telephone numbers. A total of 500 couples agreed to take part in the study and were sent questionnaires through the mail. Of this sample, 316 couples had completed the first part of the study (Time 1); thus, the initial response rate was 63.2%. From this sample, 152 couples agreed to complete our assessment battery on a second occasion (Time 2), following a twelve-month interval (48.1% of time 1). Result from structural equation modeling using latent change scores supported a model whereby only the women anxiety over abandonment was significantly predicting change in psychological aggression, whether for themselves or for their male partner. When predicting perceptions of perpetration and victimization a differential pattern was found for the female partner. Overall, the findings are congruent with attachment theory and implications for future research are discussed.
When: July 21st, 1:30 PM
Where: International Association for Relationship Research Conference 2016, Sheraton Center Toronto Hotel, Canada.
Ana Maria Fernandez, Ph.D.
Psychologist and Professor, Department of Psychology, Universidad de Santiago. Chile. Dr Fernandez obtained her Ph. D in Psychology at the University of Chile, her MSc in Experimental Psychology at the University of California State, and her BA in Psychology at the University of Texas. Her research mainly work focuses on attachment, relationships, and gender.
Ana Maria Fernandez will be presenting the following oral communication
HUMAN MATING AND ATTACHMENT Ana Maria Fernandez, Diana Rivera, Jose Antonio Muoz-Reyes, Paula Pavez, & Michele Dufey. Human beings have a strong need to establish and maintain relationships with significant others, satisfying a basic affiliation need. Couple relationships motivated a great amount of studies from Attachment Theory, Social Exchange, and more recently, Evolutionary Psychology. All of these lines aim at understanding mate choice, as well as the maintenance of couple relationships throughout the life cycle. We hypothesize that mate selection is an initial engine that motivates social exchange within a romantic dyad, which then leads to different kinds of attachment and the formation of a stable pair-bond. We analyze mate choice considering mate value within the dyad and the reciprocal value partner's accrue from each other, considering attachment styles, as well as relationship closeness, dependence and anxiety in two samples of Chilean young couples (65 dating partners) as well as a more stable cohabiting sample (ongoing data collection of 100 couples). We hypothesize that variables relevant in the mating literature (individuals attractiveness/mate value), will be positively associated with positive mate retention strategies, and that jealousy evoking will be directly associated to secure as well as anxious attachment, relational closeness and dependence. In the second sample, we aim to confirm these predictions, and the correlation of these variables to the prevalence of aggressive and controlling behavior inversely. We discuss our results in light of recent findings that valuable partners bring into the relationship positive partner-retention strategies, and are less likely to develop controllingaggressive behaviors.
When: July 21st, 1:30 PM
Where: International Association for Relationship Research Conference 2016, Sheraton Center Toronto Hotel, Canada.