The effects of attachment style on relationship satisfaction

Includes bibliographical references (pages 43-46)One???s attachment style carries over from infancy and childhood into adulthood and adult romantic relationships. A deep understanding of attachment theory and its implications toward relationship satisfaction is vitally important for marriage and family therapists to acquire when working with couples in dissolution. The present study investigated the three different attachment styles of secure, anxious-ambivalent, and avoidant and the propensity each style had toward an increase or decrease in relationship satisfaction. A sample of 271 participants between the ages of 18 and 64 completed the Adult Attachment Questionnaire (AAQ) and the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) to examine attachment style, and the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) to determine relationship satisfaction. Results indicated that securely attached individuals were more inclined to experience higher relationship satisfaction and insecurely attached individuals were more inclined to experience lower relationship satisfaction