Sex Buffers Intimates Against the Negative Implications of Attachment Insecurity

Abstract

Contextual models of relationships and recent theories of attachment system activation suggest that experiences that promote intimacy, such as sexual intercourse, may moderate the negative implications of attachment insecurity. In two independent studies, 207 couples reported their attachment insecurity, the frequency of their sexual intercourse over the past 30 days, their expectancies for their partner’s availability, and their marital satisfaction, and in a 7-day diary they reported their daily sexual and relationship satisfaction and their expectancies for how satisfied they would be with their partners’ availability the next day. Attachment avoidance was unrelated to marital satisfaction among spouses reporting more frequent sex, and attachment anxiety was unrelated to marital satisfaction among spouses reporting more daily sexual satisfaction. Both effects were mediated by expectancies for partner availability. These findings suggest that the effects of attachment insecurity are not immutable but vary according to the context of the relationship.

Revising Working Models Across Time: Relationship Situations That Enhance Attachment Security

“…Partners may be most effective at mitigating avoidance when they respect the avoidant person's need to disengage from an interaction, or use humor, fun distractions, sex, and other tactics that diffuse negative emotions in tense situations (Birnbaum et al, 2006;Little et al, 2010). Partners who instead simply avoid or circumvent a difficult interaction cannot address important relationship issues or concerns.…”

Considering Attachment and Partner Perceptions in the Prediction of Physical and Emotional Sexual Satisfaction

“…Thus, in an effort to regulate this fear, these people may minimize their own level of satisfaction so as to reject the partner and avoid intimacy. Indeed, research suggests that sex is often used as a means of increasing intimacy between two people [26,43]. We speculate that partner perceptions of physical satisfaction may be less threatening, as physical satisfaction is often expected in sexual interactions, and does not necessarily lead to greater intimacy and dependence (as in casual hook-ups).…”

“…The majority of previous research has focused on global evaluations of satisfaction with sexual experiences, for instance by asked participants how satisfied they were with their sex life [26]. However, sex may serve two separate functions of providing satisfaction for emotional and physical needs [22,7].…”

“…Event-contingent diary designs are rare in sex research (see [36] for an exception), and little research has examined attachment as it relates to sexual satisfaction on an event level (for exceptions, see [26,3], whom conceptualized sexual satisfaction as general feelings of satisfaction with sex life, or assessed other aspects of the sexual interaction). Information provided from the current set of studies may be useful in better understanding the complex dynamics of trait-level attachment and perceptions of partner sexual satisfaction in predicting personal sexual satisfaction during real-time events.…”

Razlike U Percepciji Bračnog Kvaliteta Među Parovima Različitih Kombinacija Obrazaca Partnerske Afektivne Vezanosti

“…Autori navode da je u kasnijim fazama braka veza između sigurne vezanosti i kvaliteta bračnog odnosa verovatno posredovana nekim drugim varijablama, na primer, konstruktivnim obrascima komunikacije (Guerrero, Farinelli, & McEwan, 2009) ili intimnošću i učestalošću seksualnih odnosa (Little, McNulty, & Russell, 2010). Rezultati jedne meta-studije, međutim, pokazuju da se i negativna veza između nesigurnih obrazaca i kvaliteta partnerske relacije, kao i pozitivna veza između sigurnog obrasca i kvaliteta partnerske relacije pojačavaju sa dužim trajanjem partnerskog odnosa (Hadden, Smith, & Webster, 2014).…”