THE FATHER OR THE MOTHER: WHO IS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTACHMENT TO A PARTNER? THE MODERATING EFFECT OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION ON INSECURE ATTACHMENT STYLES
THE FATHER OR THE MOTHER: WHO IS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTACHMENT TO A PARTNER? THE MODERATING EFFECT OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION ON INSECURE ATTACHMENT STYLES

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the association of attachment styles from childhood to adulthood in a retro-spective manner and their relationship with romantic relationships, focusing on gender differencesand relationship satisfaction. The study involved 309 adults (170 women, 139 men) aged 18 to 74in romantic relationships. The results suggest that individuals who retrospectively report certainattachment patterns with parents in childhood tend to report similar patterns in adult romantic re-lationships. Significant differences were found in attachment to mother and father, especially bygender. In women, anxious attachment in adulthood was associated with anxious attachment to bothparents, while avoidant patterns showed weaker associations. In men, avoidant attachment to themother was not associated with anxious attachment in adulthood. These findings highlight the dif-ferences in attachment dynamics to the mother and the father and their association with romanticrelationships. Relationship satisfaction may moderate the negative associations of insecure attach-ment styles with romantic involvement. This underscores the need for considering attachment his-tories in therapeutic interventions.

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