Stability of attachment styles across students’ romantic relationships, friendships and family relations

Research on adult attachment focused mainly on the relationship with partners. However, attachment theory predicts that attachment style once formed in childhood defines the structure and quality of later relationships to significant others, which means not only partners, but also friends and family members. We were interested in finding out whether the type of relationship is a relevant variable and whether the incidence of a particular attachment style differs with regard to the type of close relationship. The aim of our study was to assess the stability of attachment styles across students’ romantic relationships, friendships and family relations. The sample consisted of 210 male and female undergraduate students of the University of Zagreb. The Experiences in Close Relationship Inventory developed by Brennan, Clark, and Shaver (1998) was administered to the participants. In order to assess the level of attachment toward other objects (friends and family members), the instrument was slightly modified. Data were analyzed and interpreted both according to their position on attachment dimensions and the type of attachment they indicate. The results show that people form a more secure attachment in their relations with members of their families and friends than with their romantic partners. We investigated whether there is a correspondence between attachment styles in different types of close relationships. The only style that appears relatively stable is secure attachment. The non-secure attachment styles with romantic partners are highly compensated for with the secure one in other, less threatening relationships, with friends or family members. The results are discussed in relation to the age of participants and the characteristics of students’ life-style

Diferencias de edad en los efectos de la estructura y calidad familiares sobre el apego hacia la familia y la pareja

The aim of this research was to examine the differences in attachment to romantic partners and family members between individuals whose parents had divorced, those whose parents had high quality marriages and those whose parents had low quality marriages, as well as to find out whether the effects of family structure and the quality of relationship between parents vary with age and gender. A total of 1478 participants (433 high-school students, 621 undergraduate students and 424 adults) were included in the research. Data about family structure and the quality of parental relationship were obtained and modifications of the Experiences in Close Relationship Inventory were applied in order to assess attachment to family and romantic partners. Significant effect of relationship between parents was found on anxiety in attachment to romantic partners. Specifically, individuals whose parents had low marital quality while they were teenagers appear to be more anxious in their romantic relationships in comparison to those from well-functioning families as well as those whose parents divorced. However, when it comes to attachment to family, we found main effects of age, gender and the type of family, as well as interaction effect of gender and age on avoidance dimension. Both high-school boys and girls scored higher on avoidance of closeness with family members than all other subsamples, but men generally scored higher on avoidance to family then women. Overall, the quality of relationship between parents proved to be more important than family structure, with effects on avoidant attachment to family and anxious attachment to romantic partners for both genders and across the age groups.El objetivo de esta investigación fue investigar las diferencias del apego hacia la pareja y los miembros de la familia entre los individuos cuyos padres están divorciados, aquellos cuyos padres tienen matrimonio de alta calidad y aquellos cuyos padres tienen matrimonio de baja calidad, tanto como averiguar si los efectos de la estructura familiar y la calidad de relación entre los padres cambian con años y género. En la investigación fueron incluidos 1478 participantes (433 alumnos de secundaria, 621 estudiantes universitarios y 424 adultos). Los datos sobre la estructura familiar y la calidad de la relación entre los padres fueron obtenidos y las modificaciones del Inventario de Experiencias en Relaciones Cercanas fueron aplicadas con el fin de evaluar el apego hacia la familia y la pareja. Se descubrió un efecto significativo de la relación entre los padres sobre la ansiedad en el apego hacia la pareja. Específicamente, individuos cuyos padres tuvieron matrimonio de baja calidad durante su adolescencia parecen más ansiosos en sus relaciones románticas en comparación con los que tienen familia de buen funcionamiento, tanto como aquellos cuyos padres están divorciados. Sin embargo, cuando se trata del apego hacia la familia, hemos encontrado efectos principales de la edad, género y tipo de familia, tanto como efecto interactivo del género y edad sobre la dimensión evitativa. Tanto chicos como chicas que frecuentan la escuela secundaria puntuaron mejor en la evitación de la intimidad con la familia que todas las demás submuestras, pero en general los hombres puntuaron mejor que las mujeres en la evitación de la familia. En conjunto, la calidad de relación entre los padres se demostró más importante que la estructura familiar, con efectos sobre apego evitativo hacia la familia y apego ansioso hacia la pareja para los dos géneros y grupos de edad

THE ROLE OF CONSUMER ETHNOCENTRISM AND HABIT IN POTATO CHIP PURCHASES: AN EXTENSION OF TPB

The aim of this study was to determine the factors underlying domestic product (potato chip purchases) using an extended model of theory of planned behaviour (TPB). A systematic sample of 348 Croatian potato chip buyers was surveyed. Structural Equation Modelling by Partial Least Squares was used to test the hypotheses. The strongest positive predictor of this intention was the attitude about the purchase of domestic potato chips. The perceived behavioural control did not have a significant impact on the behaviour (actual purchase), while intention was a strong predictor of the intended behaviour. Consumer ethnocentrism predicted the attitudes, while habit had a strong impact on all variables in the TPB model. This study extended the TPB model by adding two constructs, habit and consumer ethnocentrism, and by investigating their predictive impacts. While TPB is usually used to predict the prosocial and healthy behaviour, this study extended the previous knowledge by focusing on snacks (potato chips), which is expected to be more habit-driven than planned

Percipirana partnerova pozitivna i negativna ponašanja i zadovoljstvo brakom

The aim of the study was to examine how perceived spouse's affectionate and antagonistic behaviours contribute to one's marital satisfaction. Firstly, we explored whether perception of partner's affectionate and antagonistic behaviours vary with gender, age, length of marriage and family structure. Secondly, we examined the relation between perceived partner's behaviour and marital satisfaction, while controlling for contextual variables. Questionnaire assessing love, marital satisfaction, perceived partners' affectionate and antagonistic behaviours and demographic data was administered to a heterogeneous sample of 302 married couples from Croatia with the average marriage length of 18 years and age span of 20–82 years. Results indicate that perceived spouse's affectionate and antagonistic behaviours both contribute to marital satisfaction with the impact of antagonistic behaviours being buffered when it appears in affectionate relationship. These effects are not moderated by age, gender, marriage duration or family structure. Finally, the perception of partner's affectionate and antagonistic behaviours had significant incremental power over feelings of love and other contextual variables when predicting marital satisfaction.Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati kakav efekt percepcija partnerova ponašanja, točnije iskazivanja naklonosti i neprijateljstva, ima na zadovoljstvo brakom. Istražili smo razlike u percipiranom partnerovom iskazivanju naklonosti i antagonizma s obzirom na rod, dob, trajanje braka i roditeljstvo. Osim toga, ispitali smo odnos između percepcije partnerova ponašanja i zadovoljstva brakom, kontrolirajući pritom kontekstualne varijable. Upitnik s pitanjima o intenzitetu ljubavi, zadovoljstvu brakom, iskazivanju naklonosti i neprijateljstva primijenjen je na heterogenom uzorku od 302 bračna para iz Hrvatske s prosječnim trajanjem braka od 18 godina te dobnim rasponom od 20 do 82 godine. Partnerovo iskazivanje naklonosti i neprijateljstva značajno su povezani s bračnim zadovoljstvom, pri čemu visoka razina iskazivanja naklonosti predstavlja zaštitni faktor u brakovima s visokom razinom neprijateljskoga ponašanja. Ovaj odnos ne ovisi o rodu, dobi, trajanju braka ili strukturi obitelji. Uz važnu ulogu konteksta i intenziteta ljubavi u predviđanju bračnoga zadovoljstva, dobivena je značajna inkrementalna valjanost percepcije iskazivanja naklonosti i neprijateljstva supružnika u predviđanju bračnoga zadovoljstva

What predicts the willingness of heterosexual persons to behave in a positive or negative manner towards homosexual persons?

While we know much about what determines attitudes towards gays and lesbians, less research attention has been given to the determinants of behavioral intentions towards these sexual minorities. Our goal is to examine the factors associated with one’s intention to discriminate against gays and lesbians (negative behavior) and those associated with one’s intention to become involved in affirmative behaviors directed toward them (positive behavior). We are interested in whether socio-demographic characteristics, which are known predictors of attitudes, such as gender, age, education, religiosity and political orientation, also predict positive and negative behavioral intentions towards homosexuals. An additional goal is to investigate the role of both direct and indirect contact with gays and lesbians for the prediction of behavioral intentions. The study was conducted online, with 997 exclusively heterosexual participants. Scales, constructed for the purpose of this study, measured the propensity to discriminate against homosexuals, readiness to engage in activities directed towards the amelioration of homosexuals’ social status, direct and indirect contact, and socio-demographic characteristics. Results show that our participants are relatively ready to discriminate against homosexual persons in the areas of politics, workplace, and tenant rights. Also, they are not particularly ready to engage in affirmative activities, especially if these include more effort and direct contact with gays and lesbians. Men, older persons, more religious persons, more politically conservative persons, and those who had less direct contact with gays and lesbians were more prone to discriminate against them. Women, less religious persons, more politically liberal persons and those who had more direct and indirect contact with gays and lesbians were more ready to engage in affirmative actions. Results are discussed in light of their practical implications for education and prevention programs directed toward reducing discrimination and increasing affirmative action aimed to increase equality of homosexual persons in today’s society

Minority stress and mental health of homosexual and bisexual men and women: A review of research on the minority stress model from a Croatian perspective

According to numerous research studies, homo- and bisexual persons are twice as likely to develop mental health problems during their lifetime than heterosexual persons. The main goal of this review paper is to show how this higher incidence of poor mental health and well-being can be explained by the minority stress model. According to this model, sexual minorities are facing everyday challenges such as stigma, prejudice, and discrimination, which create a stressful environment for them. The paper explains the minority stress model proposed by Meyer and reviews current empirical findings supporting the model and its assumptions. Since social context is an integral part of this model, we review existing research that has examined parts of the minority stress model in Croatia, and look at the model from the perspective of contemporary Croatian society. Current research shows that different parts of the model are validated in the Croatian context. LGB persons who have experienced victimization and discrimination have poorer mental health. Concealing one’s sexual identity does seem to lead to fewer opportunities for victimization and discrimination, but it is also associated with low self-esteem and quality of life. On the other hand, being open about one’s sexual orientation is associated with greater well-being. Being involved and active in the LGB community seems to be the path leading to better visibility and acceptance of LGB’s in the Croatian society. Finally, this paper contributes to the enrichment of minority stress findings by including research on bisexual persons that points to the existence of extra added stress due to double discrimination of bisexual persons by both heterosexual and homosexual persons

Does equity in ways of showing love matter for marital satisfaction?

The aim of this study was to test the predictions derived from the equity theory, social exchange principle and research dealing with marital climate about the relationship between equity in the ways of showing love between partners and marital satisfaction. The sample consisted of 302 Croatian married couples of different age (20-82 years) and from various urban/rural backgrounds. Marriage length varied between one month and 57 years. Along with asking about marital satisfaction, we administered The Ways of Showing Love Scale. Equity was assessed as a similarity between how much (in total and in every of the six specific ways) an individual shows love to his/her partner and his/her perception of how his/her partner shows love to him/her. According to equity theory, individuals who show and perceive a similar amount of love, no matter whether this amount is big or small, should be more satisfied with their relationship. Individuals who are underbenefited should be less satisfied, while individuals who are overbenefited should be somewhere in the middle. Results did not confirm this hypothesis. We found that both men and women with a high score on both showing and perceiving love are most satisfied with their marriage. Underbenefited and overbenefited individuals do not differ, and have somewhat lesser scores on marital satisfaction. Those with a low score on both showing and perceiving love are the least satisfied. The results suggest the importance of positive socioemotional climate for marital satisfaction

Prediktori kolektivne krivnje nakon nasilnog sukoba

After a violent conflict many post-conflict communities remain ethnically divided and normalization of the inter-group relations is hindered not only by in-group norms and interpretation of past events, but also by collective guilt. Although collective guilt has proved to be an important indicator of post-conflict social repair, more research is needed to define its predictors. This study, conducted in an ethnically divided community, confirmed that collective guilt acceptance and collective guilt assignment in our sample are typical for the post-conflict pattern of intergroup relations – people readily assign guilt to the outgroup but are unwilling to accept the guilt of their in-group. This suggests that the process of community social reconstruction has not considerably progressed. Our findings also suggest that the two aspects of collective guilt – assignment and acceptance – are predicted by similar sets of variables. Both collective guilt assignment and collective guilt acceptance are influenced by identification with in-group which influence is fully or partially mediated with the justification of the in-group’s wrongdoings. This indicates that in the post-conflict setting relationship towards the in-group may be more important for experiencing collective guilt than the relationship towards the out-group. Relationship towards out-group, although not crucial, also plays a role in experiencing collective guilt. Specifically, both affect towards and cognitions about out-group members predict collective guilt assignment (with cognition being stronger predictor than positive affect), whereas only (absence of) positive affect predicts acceptance of collective guilt and the cognitive aspect is not predictive.Nakon nasilnog sukoba mnoge zajednice ostaju etnički podijeljene, a normalizacija međugrupnih odnosa otežana je ne samo grupnim normama i interpretacijom prošlih događaja, nego i pripisivanjem ili doživljajem kolektivne krivnje. Premda se kolektivna krivnja pokazala važnim indikatorom socijalnog oporavka nakon sukoba, potrebna su dodatna istraživanja kako bi se odredili njeni prediktori. Ovo istraživanje, provedeno u etnički podijeljenoj zajednici, potvrdilo je da je razina pripisivanja i prihvaćanja kolektivne krivnje u našem uzorku tipična za postkonfliktni obrazac međugrupnih odnosa – ljudi spremno pripisuju krivnju za sukob drugoj grupi, dok istovremeno ne prihvaćajući krivnju vlastite grupe. Taj nalaz sugerira da proces socijalne rekonstrukcije zajednice još nije značajno uznapredovao. Rezultati također upućuju na zaključak da dva aspekta kolektivne krivnje – prihvaćanje i pripisivanje – predviđaju slični skupovi varijabli. I pripisivanje i prihvaćanje kolektivne krivnje određeno je razinom identifikacije s grupom čiji je utjecaj potpuno ili djelomično posredovan opravdavanjem postupaka vlastite grupe. Ovaj nalaz sugerira da je vezanost za vlastitu grupu važnija i za pripisivanje i za prihvaćanje kolektivne krivnje od odnosa prema drugoj grupi (npr. međugrupnih afekata i kognicija). Međutim, odnos prema vanjskoj grupi, iako nije presudan, također ima značajnu ulogu za doživljaj kolektivne krivnje. Specifično, osjećaji prema vanjskoj grupi i kognicije o članovima vanjske grupe predviđaju pripisivanje kolektivne krivnje (pri čemu su kognicije jači prediktor od pozitivnog afekta), dok pozitivni afekt prema vanjskoj grupi predviđa prihvaćanje kolektivne krivnje

Kritička osviještenost učenika i učenica završnih razreda srednje škole o reprezentaciji žena u medijima

Reprezentacija žena u medijima visoko je stereotipna te su žene podzastu-pljene i neravnopravno prikazane u odnosu na muškarce. Cilj ovoga is-traživanja je ispitati kako učenici na kraju srednjoškolskog obrazovanja doživljavaju reprezentaciju žena u medijima te što su odrednice njihovog stava. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 280 zagrebačkih maturanata/ica, a ispitani su osnovni socio-demografski podatci, percepcija pristranog pri-kaza žena u medijima, slaganje s ­načinom prikaza žena u medijima, sta-vovi prema rodnim ulogama za adolescente/ice i rodne uloge u adoles-cenciji. Istraživanje je pokazalo da se mladići i djevojke umjereno slažu s načinom prikaza žena u medijima pri čemu djevojke u nešto manjoj mjeri. Kod djevojaka, odrednice slaganja s načinom na koji su žene u medijima prikazane su manje izražena percepcija neravnopravnosti prikaza i pod-zastupljenosti žena u medijima, a kod mladića manje izražena per­cepcija stereotipnog prikaza izgleda, osobina i uloga žena te maskulina rodna uloga. Dobiveni rezultati upućuju na važnost usmjeravanja pažnje učeni-ka na rodnu problematiku u svrhu razvoja kritičke osviještenosti spram medijskih ­sadržaja