Alesia Woszidlo

Direct and indirect effects of attachment orientation on relationship quality and loneliness in married couples

This study tested the prediction that spouses’ insecure attachment orientation would be negatively associated with relationship quality. It was further predicted that there would be indirect effects of attachment orientation on spouses’ relationship quality through interpersonal trust as well as indirect effects of attachment orientation on loneliness through spouses’ relationship quality. Predictions were tested on 225 married couples that completed measures of attachment orientation, personal commitment, dedication commitment, interpersonal trust, loneliness, and marital satisfaction. Tests of actor–partner interdependence revealed that insecure attachment (i.e., anxious and avoidant) was associated with lower relationship quality and that one partner’s insecure attachment was associated with his/her spouse’s report of lower relationship quality. Actor–partner mediator models revealed that interpersonal trust mediated the relationship between attachment orientation and relationship quality; insecure attachment was associated with lower levels of interpersonal trust and, in turn, lower relationship quality, both individually and dyadically. Similarly, relationship quality mediated the relationship between attachment orientation and loneliness; insecure attachment was associated with lower relationship quality and, in turn, higher levels of loneliness both individually and dyadically.

Social Skills, Family Conflict, and Loneliness in Families

The primary aim of this study was to examine associations between family conflict, social skills, and loneliness among a sample of 255 father–mother–adult child triads. We examined two dimensions of social skills, self-disclosure skills and positive relations with others, as moderators of the association between family environment conflict and loneliness using triadic models in SAS PROC MIXED. Self-disclosure skills moderated the association between family conflict and loneliness; however, positive relations with others did not moderate this association. Thus, our hypothesis was partially supported. Implications for taking a multidimensional view to examining social skills in conjunction with family conflict and loneliness are discussed.

Young and Older Adults' Gender Stereotype in Multitasking

In the present study, we investigated discrepancies between two components of stereotyping by means of the popular notion that women are better at multitasking behaviors: the cognitive structure in individuals (personal belief) and the perceived consensus regarding certain beliefs (perceived belief of groups). With focus on this notion, we examined whether there was empirical evidence for the stereotypes existence and whether and how it was shared among different age groups. Data were collected from 241 young (n = 129) and older (n = 112) German individuals. The reported perceptions of gender effects at multitasking were substantial and thus demonstrated the existence of its stereotype. Importantly, in young and older adults, this stereotype existed in the perception of attributed characteristics by members of a collective (perceived belief of groups). When contrasting this perceived belief of groups and the personal belief, older adults showed a similar level of conformation of the gender stereotype while young adults were able to differentiate between these perspectives. Thus, young adults showed a discrepancy between the stereotypes components cognitive structure in individuals and perceived consensus regarding certain beliefs.

Direct and indirect effects of attachment orientation on relationship quality and constraint commitment in married couples

ABSTRACT This study examined the associations between attachment orientation, relationship quality, and constraint commitment. It tested the prediction that insecure attachment would be negatively associated with constraint commitment, that relationship quality would be positively associated with constraint commitment, and that there would be an indirect effect of attachment insecurity on lower constraint commitment through lower relationship quality. Parallel research questions were advanced to examine if there were corresponding partner effects. Predictions were tested on 628 married couples. Tests of actor-partner interdependence revealed that attachment insecurity was associated with lower constraint commitment for both husbands and wives, and that husbands’ attachment insecurity was associated with wives’ lower constraint commitment. These same tests revealed a positive association between relationship quality and constraint commitment for husbands and wives. Tests of actor-partner interdependence mediation models revealed that attachment insecurity was indirectly associated with lower constraint commitment through lower relationship quality for both husbands and wives, and that husbands’ attachment insecurity was associated with wives’ lower constraint commitment through wives’ lower relationship quality. This study extends previous research on attachment and commitment by demonstrating that an insecure attachment orientation is associated with perceptions of lower constraint commitment through lower relationship quality, suggesting that relationship quality plays an important role in explaining the association between attachment orientation and constraint commitment.

The associations between family disengagement, support, loneliness, and stress in young adults attending college

Grounded in Olson’s Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems (1993), the associations between family disengagement, different sources of social support, loneliness, and stress for young adults were examined. Data were collected from 241 college students at three different time points: semester week 2, week 8, and week 14. Results indicated that students experienced increased levels of family disengagement as the semester progressed. Furthermore, a serial multiple mediation analysis indicated that family disengagement at T1 and T3 could be explained by perceptions of less family support, greater loneliness, and increased stress. Finally, a parallel multiple mediation analysis indicated that social support provided by friends (not family or special person support) significantly mediated loneliness over time. The results suggest that family disengagement is a natural process that young adults experience throughout college and provide a greater understanding of the role that social support plays with loneliness and perceived stress.

Negative Affectivity and Educational Attainment as Predictors of Newlyweds’ Problem Solving Communication and Marital Quality

ABSTRACT This investigation examines the role of negative affectivity and educational attainment in newlywed couples’ mutual problem solving and marital quality (i.e., personal commitment and divorce proneness). The vulnerability-stress-adaptation (VSA) model of marital development was used as a framework to explain the relationships between enduring vulnerabilities, adaptive processes, and marital quality. Dyadic analyses and tests of indirect effects were performed on data from 186 couples who had been married on average for 1.5 years. Spouses’ negative affectivity and educational attainment were significantly associated with their own and their partners mutual problem solving, personal commitment, and propensity to divorce. In addition, there was evidence supporting the assumption that the relationships between enduring vulnerabilities and marital quality can be explained, in part, by mutual problem solving for husbands. This study highlights the important role that enduring vulnerabilities have on mutual problem solving communication and marital quality.