Objective This longitudinal study examined the dyadic associations between childhood trauma (CT) and relationship satisfaction, and the role of attachment insecurity therein. Background CT is a known risk factor for couple dissatisfaction. One conceptual framework that may explain this association is attachment theory, which suggests that abusive or neglectful primary caregivers in childhood contribute to the development of insecure adult attachment and in turn, to lower romantic relationship satisfaction. Yet past studies examining the role of CT in adult couple relationships have primarily used cross-sectional and individual-level designs, limiting our understanding of how CT influences couples’ relationship satisfaction over time. Method A convenience sample of 210 heterosexual cisgender and sexually/gender diverse community couples (M age = 31 years old, SD = 8.50) completed online questionnaires at three time points (baseline, 6 months and 12 months) over one year. Based on the Actor-Partner Independence Model, cross-sectional and longitudinal mediation models were conducted. Results A person’s greater history of CT was linked to both their own and their partner’s lower relationship satisfaction concurrently and with their own lower relationship satisfaction 12 months later. Attachment anxiety was a significant mediator of these associations. Conclusion Results highlight the contribution of attachment anxiety as a central mechanism to couples’ relationship satisfaction in the aftermath of CT. They also underscore the enduring influence of distal interpersonal vulnerabilities on proximal relational outcomes via their expression in adult attachment dynamics, supporting the need for attachment- and trauma-informed care.
Somatic symptoms refer to physical discomforts that cannot be fully explained by organic or physiological causes. Drawing on social pain theory, stress generation theory, and cognitive theory, peer neglect may be associated with maladaptive self-cognition, thereby increasing vulnerability to somatic symptoms. In turn, drawing on labeling theory, adolescents with somatic symptoms may be more likely to experience peer neglect through social labeling processes. The present study aimed to test the bidirectional relationships among peer neglect, maladaptive self-cognition, and somatic symptoms, examine the mediating role of maladaptive self-cognition in the relation between peer neglect and somatic symptoms, and explore whether these associations differed by gender. A cross-lagged panel model was used to analyze data from 1639 Chinese adolescents (52.50% girls, M age = 14.52 years, SD = 1.08; 47.50% boys, M age = 14.45 years, SD = 1.15 at baseline) recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected across two measurement waves over a seven-month period. The findings revealed reciprocal longitudinal associations between peer neglect and somatic symptoms. Maladaptive self-cognition showed a small indirect effect in the association between peer neglect and subsequent somatic symptoms, whereas no significant gender differences were found. These findings suggest that maladaptive self-cognition may represent one possible psychological pathway linking peer neglect to somatic symptoms. Peer neglect and maladaptive self-cognition may therefore be relevant areas for future school-based intervention research.
Interpersonal trauma poses enduring challenges for relational functioning in early adulthood, yet substantial heterogeneity exists in how individuals adapt interpersonally following such experiences. Drawing on self-compassion theory and emotion-regulation flexibility perspectives, this study examined how self-compassion—conceptualized as a multidimensional construct comprising positive (self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness) and negative (self-judgment, isolation, over-identification) components—relates to interpersonal competence, and whether adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion-regulation strategies differentially accounted for these associations. Participants were 1,004 South Korean young adults (49.8% male; M age = 29.47) who had experienced a subjectively distressing interpersonal event or relational loss. They completed measures of self-compassion, cognitive emotion regulation, and interpersonal competence. Path-analytic models examined direct and indirect associations among these variables. Additional moderation analyses examined whether the associations between self-compassion and cognitive emotion regulation differed by sex. Overall self-compassion was positively associated with interpersonal competence, with this association driven primarily by positive components of self-compassion. Positive components of self-compassion exhibited robust indirect associations with interpersonal competence via greater use of adaptive cognitive emotion-regulation strategies (e.g., acceptance, positive reappraisal). In contrast, negative components of self-compassion were associated with reduced use of adaptive strategies and greater use of maladaptive strategies (e.g., rumination, self-blame). Negative components also showed small positive indirect associations with interpersonal competence through maladaptive strategies, suggesting that these strategies were not uniformly associated with lower interpersonal competence. Tests of moderation by sex showed that the associations between self-compassion and cognitive emotion regulation were largely comparable across male and female participants. Together, these findings suggest that individual differences in self-relating and cognitive emotion regulation may help explain heterogeneity in interpersonal competence and are broadly consistent with emotion-regulation flexibility perspectives on adaptation following interpersonal trauma.
Insecurely attached people have difficulties regulating their emotions and are less likely to use adaptive emotion regulation strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal. Yet, romantic partners may play a pivotal role in helping insecurely attached people reappraise situations and reduce negative emotions. Anxiously and avoidantly attached people, however, may need different types of support to regulate their negative emotions. Some prior research has examined the types of support that are more effective for anxiously and avoidantly attached people, but no work has related attachment orientations and emotion regulation patterns to eating behavior. To address this gap, we conducted a 14-day daily diary study examining these associations to determine: (a) the degree to which anxiously and avoidantly attached people perceived specific types of support from their romantic partner as more effective in regulating their daily negative emotions, and (b) how these perceptions were associated with their daily eating behavior. We found that highly anxious people reported less use of cognitive reappraisal than less anxious people, but that attachment avoidance was not associated with reappraisal. Both attachment anxiety and avoidance, however, were associated with greater negative affect, and the use of reappraisal was associated with less negative affect. Specifically, on days when reappraisal was high, negative affect was more likely to be low compared to days when reappraisal was low. Also, on days when the amount of general support received was high, reappraisal and positive mood after receiving support were also high compared to days when general support received was low. Although eating was not associated with perceived support, it was negatively associated with stress and negative affect. Thus, while matches of partner support type with attachment insecurity did not interact to predict reappraisal, general support received from a partner was associated with greater reappraisal.
Cycling relationships are typically defined as committed romantic partnerships that have dissolved and reunited at least once in their history. These couples are relatively common and of growing empirical interest. However, prior research has yielded inconsistent findings about cycling relationships due, in part, to operationalizations that treat them as a homogeneous category, potentially obscuring meaningful variation in how different types of cycling relationships operate. To explore this possibility, the current work applied a two-step cluster analysis to individuals reporting on a current or previous cycling relationship ( n = 261) and compared the emergent groups against each other and to a non-cycling sample ( n = 161) on various relationship and individual characteristics. Three clusters emerged with qualitatively different profiles: A “Deliberate” other-seeking group reported no contact with the cycling partner during long splits wherein they actively sought alternative partnerships. An “Exclusive” cluster evidenced short splits, frequent communication with their cycling partner but without physical intimacy, no other-seeking, and the highest levels of relational certainty. Lastly, a cluster of “Uncertain” other-seekers reported short splits comprising outreaches to alternative partners despite continued sexual intimacy and contact with their cycling partner during splits. This final group had the highest levels of uncertainty and the most dysfunctional relationships. They largely drove observed cycler versus non-cycler differences. Psychological aggression was the only variable that differentiated all three cycling groups from non-cyclers. Our findings suggest that cycling reflects qualitatively distinct relational configurations and that prevailing operationalizations may obscure theoretically consequential heterogeneity within this population.
