A study of college students in romantic relationships revealed that insecurely attached individuals are less likely to seek compromise in a relationship conflict. On the other hand, they were more likely to react aggressively, try to control their partner, be submissive, or break up the relationship. The paper was published in Sexual and Relationship Therapy.
Along with relationships with children, romantic relationships are the most important interpersonal relationships in the lives of most people. For many, the formation and maintenance of these relationships is the central focus of life. However, people in relationships also experience conflicts.
Conflicts in romantic relationships arise between partners due to differences in needs, expectations, values, or behaviors. They are a natural part of intimate bonds because no two people are identical in their desires or perspectives. These conflicts can range from minor disputes, such as those around household chores, to deeper issues involving trust, intimacy, or future goals.
Their significance lies in the fact that how conflicts are handled often determines the strength and longevity of the relationship. Constructive conflicts can foster growth, understanding, and intimacy by encouraging open communication and problem-solving. On the other hand, destructive conflicts, marked by blame, contempt, or withdrawal, can weaken trust and emotional connection.
Study authors Ahva Rashin Mozafari and Xiaomeng Xu wanted to explore the impact of interpersonal trauma a person experienced and affective attachment characteristics on the use of specific strategies for managing conflicts in romantic relationships. They conducted a study focusing on how conflicts develop and the strategies people use to manage them.
Study participants were 365 students enrolled in a northwestern U.S. university. To be included, they were required to be in an established romantic relationship for at least the past 6 months. Sixty-five percent of participants were women. Their ages ranged from 18 to 70 years, with the average being 23. Seventy-two percent of participants were White. Eighty-two percent identified as heterosexual.
Study participants completed assessments of lifetime exposure to traumatic events (using the Life Stressors Checklist – Revised), occurrence of conflict in their relationship and strategies they used to manage it (the Romantic Partner Conflict Scale), and affective attachment (the Experiences in Close Relationships – Revised). They also provided demographic data.
Results showed that 27% of participants reported experiencing physical abuse in childhood and 26% reported physical abuse during adulthood. Twenty-seven percent reported sexual abuse during childhood, and this percentage was 28% in adulthood. Twenty-seven percent of participants reported being victims of rape, while 18% reported being raped two or more times. Sixty-three percent reported experiencing emotional abuse during their lifetimes. Eighty-five percent indicated at least one experience of interpersonal trauma during their lifetimes.
Individuals with insecure affective attachment patterns were less likely to seek compromise in a romantic relationship conflict, and were more likely to react aggressively, act dominantly (try to control their partner), act submissively (try to satisfy their partner), or leave their partner. The number of traumatic experiences a person had was only very weakly associated with how aggressively they reacted in a conflict, and they were also slightly more likely to report leaving their partner.
Avoidance and anxiety are two primary dimensions describing how individuals bond with others. Highly anxious individuals strongly fear rejection or abandonment, leading them to worry excessively about their partner’s availability and love. Highly avoidant individuals experience discomfort with closeness and intimacy, causing them to maintain distance and focus more on self-sufficiency than on others.
“Data from this sample suggest that interpersonal trauma is associated with higher levels of insecure attachment; and insecure attachment is associated with lower levels of compromise and higher interactional reactivity, submission, domination, and separation,” the study authors concluded.
The study sheds light on the links between conflict management strategies used in romantic relationships, traumatic experiences, and affective attachment patterns. However, it should be noted that all the study data came from self-reports, while information about trauma experienced in the past was based on recall. This leaves room for reporting and recall biases to have affected the results.
The paper, “Examining the associations among lifetime interpersonal trauma, attachment, and romantic relationship conflict,” was authored by Ahva Rashin Mozafari and Xiaomeng Xu.
