Security of attachment to spouses in late life: Concurrent and prospective links with cognitive and emotional wellbeing

Social ties are powerful predictors of late-life health and well-being. Although many adults maintain intimate partnerships into late life, little is known about mental models of attachment to spouses and how they influence aging. A total of 81 elderly heterosexual couples (162 individuals) were interviewed to examine the structure of attachment security to their partners; respondents also completed measures of cognition and well-being concurrently and 2.5 years later. Factor analysis revealed a single factor for security of attachment. Higher security was linked concurrently with greater marital satisfaction, fewer depressive symptoms, better mood, and less frequent marital conflicts. Greater security predicted lower levels of negative affect, less depression, and greater life satisfaction 2.5 years later. For women, greater security predicted better memory 2.5 years later and attenuated the link between frequency of marital conflict and memory deficits. Late in life, mental models of attachment to partners are linked to well-being concurrently and over time

Security of attachment to spouses in late life: Concurrent and prospective links with cognitive and emotional wellbeing

Social ties are powerful predictors of late-life health and well-being. Although many adults maintain intimate partnerships into late life, little is known about mental models of attachment to spouses and how they influence aging. A total of 81 elderly heterosexual couples (162 individuals) were interviewed to examine the structure of attachment security to their partners; respondents also completed measures of cognition and well-being concurrently and 2.5 years later. Factor analysis revealed a single factor for security of attachment. Higher security was linked concurrently with greater marital satisfaction, fewer depressive symptoms, better mood, and less frequent marital conflicts. Greater security predicted lower levels of negative affect, less depression, and greater life satisfaction 2.5 years later. For women, greater security predicted better memory 2.5 years later and attenuated the link between frequency of marital conflict and memory deficits. Late in life, mental models of attachment to partners are linked to well-being concurrently and over time

Reading Others’ Emotions: The Role of Intuitive Judgments in Predicting Marital Satisfaction, Quality and Stability

This study examined links between emotion expression in couple interactions and marital quality and stability. Core aspects of emotion expression in marital interactions were identified using naïve observational coding by multiple raters. Judges rated 47 marital discussions using 15 emotion descriptors. Coders’ pooled ratings yielded good reliability on four types of emotion expression: hostility, distress, empathy, and affection. These four types were linked with concurrent marital satisfaction and interviewer ratings of marital adjustment, as well as with marital stability at 5-year follow-up. The study also examined the extent to which naïve judges’ ratings of emotion expression correspond to “expert” ratings using the Specific Affect Coding System (SPAFF). The unique advantages of naïve coding of emotion expression in marital interaction are discussed

Prospective Associations from Family-of-Origin Interactions to Adult Marital Interactions and Relationship Adjustment

To test the social learning-based hypothesis that marital conflict resolution patterns are learned in the family-of-origin, we used longitudinal, observational data to assess prospective associations between family conflict interaction patterns during adolescence and offspring’s later marital conflict interaction patterns. Forty-seven participants completed an observed family conflict resolution task with their parents at age 14. Seventeen years later, they completed an observed marital conflict interaction task with their spouse, as well as a measure of marital adjustment. As predicted, levels of hostility and positive engagement expressed by parents and adolescents during family interactions were prospectively linked with levels of hostility and positive engagement expressed by offspring and their spouses during marital interactions. Family-of-origin hostility was a particularly robust predictor of marital interaction behaviors; it predicted later marital hostility and engagement controlling for psychopathology and positive family-of-origin engagement. For men, family-of-origin hostility also predicted poorer marital adjustment, an effect that was mediated through hostility in marital interactions. These findings suggest a long-lasting influence of family communication patterns, particularly hostility, on offspring’s intimate communication and relationship functioning

Prospective Associations from Family-of-Origin Interactions to Adult Marital Interactions and Relationship Adjustment

To test the social learning-based hypothesis that marital conflict resolution patterns are learned in the family-of-origin, we used longitudinal, observational data to assess prospective associations between family conflict interaction patterns during adolescence and offspring’s later marital conflict interaction patterns. Forty-seven participants completed an observed family conflict resolution task with their parents at age 14. Seventeen years later, they completed an observed marital conflict interaction task with their spouse, as well as a measure of marital adjustment. As predicted, levels of hostility and positive engagement expressed by parents and adolescents during family interactions were prospectively linked with levels of hostility and positive engagement expressed by offspring and their spouses during marital interactions. Family-of-origin hostility was a particularly robust predictor of marital interaction behaviors; it predicted later marital hostility and engagement controlling for psychopathology and positive family-of-origin engagement. For men, family-of-origin hostility also predicted poorer marital adjustment, an effect that was mediated through hostility in marital interactions. These findings suggest a long-lasting influence of family communication patterns, particularly hostility, on offspring’s intimate communication and relationship functioning

When “New” Meets “Old”: Configurations of Adult Attachment Representations and their Implications for Marital Functioning

Two studies addressed the implications of concordance versus discrepancy of attachment representations in individuals at 2 stages in their marital relationships. Engaged (n ϭ 157) and dating (n ϭ 101) couples participated in a multimethod 6-year longitudinal study of adult attachment. Individuals completed the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), the Current Relationship Interview (CRI), and various questionnaires and were observed in interactions with partners. On the basis of AAI and CRI classifications, participants were placed in one of four groups: Secure AAI /Secure CRI , Secure AAI /Insecure CRI , Insecure AAI /Secure CRI , or Insecure AAI /Insecure CRI . Each of the configurations showed a particular pattern of behavior, feelings about relationships and the self, and likelihood of relationship breakup. The findings of the studies address important points about the protective effects of attachment security and have interesting implications for the extension of attachment theory into adulthood. The value of attachment theory in understanding marriage rests in large part on the theory's emphasis on links between childhood relationships and later marital success, "links . . . that are underemphasized in or absent from exchange or behavioral theories" (Karney & Bradbury, 1995, p. 6). However, attachment theory has been criticized for its failure to describe how personal history and individual differences "affect the development of a marriage once two people with different relationship needs come together" (Karney & Bradbury, 1995, p. 6). The goal of the attachment behavioral system is to promote safety (and felt security) through a secure base relationship with an attachment figure. The theory focuses on how relationships with attachment figures have an impact on development, adaptive functioning, stress management, safety, and well-being. The attachment system provides an organizational framework for requesting help when needed and for recognizing requests for help and providing support In adult relationships, individual differences in the cognitive organization of the attachment system have at least two components. The first organizing element is the generalized representation of attachment that has its origins or foundation in childhood attachment experiences with caregivers and that generalizes to other attachment experiences and relationships Attachment Representations Individual differences in early secure base behavior reflect a child's knowledge and expectations of his or her own behavior and the parent's likely behavio