Attachment style and psychological adjustment in couples

The present study addresses the gap in research concerning poor marital support
together with insecure attachment style explaining risk for anxiety or depression in
both members of a couple expecting a baby. The Attachment Style Interview (ASI)
was administered separately to both members of a couple (N ¼ 126) during the
second trimester of pregnancy together with measures of state-anxiety (STAI-S)
and depression (EPDS). These measures were repeated at three months
postpartum. While insecure attachment style was related to higher anxiety and
depression symptoms in both partners at both time periods, there was an increase
of postnatal depression symptoms in women. Poor partner support contributed to
anxiety symptoms only in men. When insecure attachment combinations in both
members of the couple were examined, insecure styles increased anxiety and
depression symptoms in both genders antenatally, but postnatal anxiety symptoms
only in women. A combined effect of partner’s support and attachment style on
temporal changes of anxiety symptoms was observed differently for women and
men. It is important to assess attachment style and partner support of both
members, as well as the mutual interplay between them, to understand gendered
differences in psychological adjustment of a couple expecting a baby.
We would like to thank the women and men who agreed to participate in the present
study. This research was funded under a doctoral grant for Science in Measure IV.3,
and co-funded under the 2010 Science and Innovation Operational Program (POCI
2010) from Science and Technology Foundation, Government of the Portuguese
Republic (ref. SFRH/BD/13768/2003) and under the 2010 Science and Innovation
Operational Program (POCI 2010) of the Community Support Board III, and
supported by the European Community Fund FEDER (POCI/SAU-ESP/56397/
2004).