Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T18:40:17.763Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Associations Between Romantic Relationship Attachment and Health Among Young Adults: The Mediating Role of Sleep and Emotion Regulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2017

Dilbur D. Arsiwalla
Dilbur D. Arsiwalla*
Affiliation:
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Dilbur D. Arsiwalla, Department of Psychology, University of Northern Iowa, 1062 Bartlett Hall, Cedar Falls, IA 50614, USA. Email: dilbur.arsiwalla@uni.edu
Get access

Abstract

Close relationships play a crucial role in physical and psychological well-being. However, the mechanisms through which relationship factors may enable individuals to maintain overall health have not been widely explored. The primary objective of this study was to examine the mediating role of emotion regulation and sleep in the link between romantic relationship attachment and health. Additionally, differences in sleep patterns and emotion regulation across romantic relationship attachment styles were explored. The survey inquired about the quality and quantity of sleep, attachment quality, emotion regulatory factors, and overall health. The participants included 172 undergraduate students (17–30 years) at a midwestern U.S. university. Romantic relationship attachment security was associated with better sleep, better emotion regulatory strategies, and health. Sleep and emotion regulatory strategies mediated the association between attachment and sleep patterns in a three-path mediation. Findings show greater disruptions in sleep patterns and emotion regulatory factors across attachment styles (i.e., secure, preoccupied, dismissive, and fearful attachment). The findings have implications for sleep disorder intervention programs that emphasise better emotion regulatory strategies and promote healthy relationship patterns.

Keywords

adult attachmentromantic relationshipssleepemotion regulationhealth
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 8 , 2017 , e12
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, G.C., Stoops, M.A., & Skomro, R.P. (2014). Sleep tight: Exploring the relationship between sleep and attachment style across the life span. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 18, 495–507. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2014.03.002 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowlby, J. (1983). Attachment and loss (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Buysse, D.J., Reynolds, C.F., Monk, T.H., Berman, S.R., & Kupfer, D.J. (1989). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: A new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Research, 28, 193–213. doi:10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carskadon, M.A., Seifer, R., & Acebo, C. (1991). Reliability of six scales in a sleep questionnaire for adolescents. Sleep Research, 20, 421.Google Scholar
Carmichael, C.L., & Reis, H.T. (2005). Attachment, sleep quality, and depressed affect. Health Psychology, 24, 526–531. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.5.526 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caron, A., Lafontaine, M., Bureau, J., Levesque, C., & Johnson, S. (2012). Comparisons of close relationships: An evaluation of relationship quality and patterns of attachment to parents, friends, and romantic partners in young adults. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 44, 245–256. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0028013 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carver, C.S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol's too long: Consider the brief cope. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4, 92–100. doi:10.1207/s15327558ijbm0401_6 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cassidy, J., & Shaver, P.R. (Eds.). (2008). Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Publications.Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2013, July 1). Sleep and chronic disease. Retrieved January 22, 2017, from http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/chronic_disease.html Google Scholar
Collins, N.L. (1996). Working models of attachment: Implications for explanation, emotion, and behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 810–832. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.71.4.810 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conger, R.D., Cui, M., Bryant, C.M., & Elder, G.H. (2000). Competence in early adult romantic relationships: A developmental perspective on family influences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 224–237. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.79.2.224 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diamond, L.M., & Hicks, A.M. (2004). Psychobiological perspectives on attachment: Implications for health over the lifespan. In Rholes, S.W. & Simpson, J.A. (Eds.), Adult attachment: Theory, research, and clinical implications (pp. 240–263). New York, NY: Guilford Publications.Google Scholar
Escolas, S.M., Hildebrandt, E.J., Maiers, A.J., Baker, M.T., & Mason, S.T. (2013). The effect of attachment style on sleep in postdeployed service members. US Army Medical Department Journal, 35–45.Google ScholarPubMed
Feeney, B.C., & Collins, N.L. (2015). Thriving through relationships. Current Opinion in Psychology, 1, 22–28. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2014.11.001 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feeney, B.C., & Collins, N.L. (2014). A new look at social support: A theoretical perspective on thriving through relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 19, 113–147. doi:10.1177/1088868314544222 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feeney, J., & Noller, P. (1996). Adult attachment, Vol. 14 (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gouin, J.-P., Glaser, R., Loving, T.J., Malarkey, W.B., Stowell, J., Houts, C., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K. (2009). Attachment avoidance predicts inflammatory responses to marital conflict. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 23, 898–904. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2008.09.016 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gratz, K.L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and Dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26, 41–54. doi:10.1023/b:joba.0000007455.08539.94 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gross, J.J., & John, O.P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 348–362. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.85.2.348 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gruber, R., & Cassoff, J. (2014). The interplay between sleep and emotion regulation: Conceptual framework empirical evidence and future directions. Current Psychiatry Reports, 16, 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11920-014-0500-x CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hall, M.H., Casement, M.D., Troxel, W.M., Matthews, K.A., Bromberger, J.T., Kravitz, H.M., . . . Buysse, D.J. (2015). Chronic stress is prospectively associated with sleep in Midlife women: The SWAN sleep study. Sleep, 38, 1645–1654. http://dx.doi.org/10.5665/sleep.5066 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hsiao, F.-H., Chang, K.-J., Kuo, W.-H., Huang, C.-S., Liu, Y.-F., Lai, Y.-M., . . . Chan, C.L.W. (2013). A longitudinal study of cortisol responses, sleep problems, and psychological well-being as the predictors of changes in depressive symptoms among breast cancer survivors. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38, 356–366. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.06.010 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. (1995). Evaluating model fit. In Hoyle, R.H. (Ed.), Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and applications (2nd ed., pp. 77–99). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Huntsinger, E.T., & Luecken, L.J. (2004). Attachment relationships and health behavior: The mediational role of self-esteem. Psychology & Health, 19, 515–526. doi:10.1080/0887044042000196728 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Institute of Medicine (U.S.) Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research; Colten, H.R., & Altevogt, B.M. (Eds.). (2006). Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation. Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/11617 Google Scholar
Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. (2015). Investing in the health and well-being of young adults. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. doi:https://doi.org/10.17226/18869.Google Scholar
Johnson, S. (2008). Couple and family therapy: An attachment perspective. In Cassidy, J. & Shaver, P.R. (Eds.). (pp. 811–832). Handbook of attachment: Theory, research and clinical applications. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Korver-Nieberg, N., Berry, K., Meijer, C., de Haan, L., & Ponizovsky, A.M. (2015). Associations between attachment and psychopathology dimensions in a large sample of patients with psychosis. Psychiatry Research, 228, 83–88. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.04.018 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malik, S., Wells, A., & Wittkowski, A. (2015). Emotion regulation as a mediator in the relationship between attachment and depressive symptomatology: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 172, 428–444. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.10.007 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mallinckrodt, B., Abraham, W.T., Wei, M., & Russell, D.W. (2006). Advances in testing the statistical significance of mediation effects. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 372–378. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.3.372 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maunder, R.G., Hunter, J.J., & Lancee, W.J. (2011). The impact of attachment insecurity and sleep disturbance on symptoms and sick days in hospital-based health-care workers. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 70, 11–17. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.09.020 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDonald, R.P., & Ho, M.-H.R. (2002). Principles and practice in reporting structural equation analyses. Psychological Methods, 7, 64–82. doi:10.1037//1082-989x.7.1.64 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McWilliams, L.A., & Bailey, S.J. (2010). Associations between adult attachment ratings and health conditions: Evidence from the National Comorbidity Survey replication. Health Psychology, 29, 446–453. doi:10.1037/a0020061 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P.R. (2007). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. New York, NY: Guilford Publications.Google Scholar
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. (2008). Adult attachment and affect regulation. In Cassidy, J. & Shaver, P.R. (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed., pp. 503–531). New York, NY: Guilford Publications.Google Scholar
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P.R. (2012). An attachment perspective on psychopathology. World Psychiatry, 11, 11–15. doi:10.1016/j.wpsyc.2012.01.003 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nordin, M., Knutsson, A., & Sundbom, E. (2008). Is disturbed sleep a mediator in the association between social support and myocardial infarction? Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 55–64. doi:10.1177/1359105307084312 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2012). Why is sleep important? Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why Google Scholar
Ohayon, M.M. (2002). Epidemiology of insomnia: What we know and what we still need to learn. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 6, 97–111. doi:10.1053/smrv.2002.0186 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Palmer, C., & Alfano, C. (2017). Sleep and emotion regulation: An organizing, integrative review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 31, 6–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2015.12.006 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pietromonaco, P.R., & Beck, L.A. (2015). Attachment processes in adult romantic relationships. In Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P.R., Simpson, J.A., & Dovidio, J.F. (Eds.), APA handbook of personality and social psychology (pp. 33–64). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Pietromonaco, P.R., & Powers, S.I. (2015). Attachment and health-related physiological stress processes. Current Opinion in Psychology, 1, 34–39. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2014.12.001 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pietromonaco, P.R., Uchino, B., & Dunkel Schetter, C. (2013). Close relationship processes and health: Implications of attachment theory for health and disease. Health Psychology, 32, 499–513. doi:10.1037/a0029349 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Powers, S.I., Pietromonaco, P.R., Gunlicks, M., & Sayer, A. (2006). Dating couples’ attachment styles and patterns of cortisol reactivity and recovery in response to a relationship conflict. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 613–628. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.90.4.613 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quickert, R.E. (2016). Sleep quality as a mediator of the relationship between attachment anxiety and health outcomes during romantic conflict (Unpublished master's thesis). Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.Google Scholar
Robillard, R., Hermens, D., Naismith, S., White, D., Rogers, N., Ip, T., . . . Hickie, I. (2015). Ambulatory sleep-wake patterns and variability in young people with emerging mental disorders. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 40, 28–37. doi:10.1503/jpn.130247 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryff, C.D., Singer, B., Wing, E., & Love, G.D. (2001). Elective affinities and uninvited agonies: Mapping emotion with significant others onto health. In Ryff, C.D. & Singer, B.S. (Eds.), Emotion, social relationships, and health (pp. 133–175). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scharfe, E., & Eldredge, D. (2001). Associations between attachment representations and health behaviors in late adolescence. Journal of Health Psychology, 6, 295–307. doi:10.1177/135910530100600303 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sloan, E.P., Maunder, R.G., Hunter, J.J., & Moldofsky, H. (2007). Insecure attachment is associated with the α-EEG anomaly during sleep. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 1, 20. doi:10.1186/1751-0759-1-20 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spoormaker, V.I., Verbeek, I., van den Bout, J., & Klip, E.C. (2005). Initial validation of the SLEEP-50 questionnaire. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 3, 227–246. doi:10.1207/s15402010bsm0304_4 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Troxel, W.M., Cyranowski, J.M., Hall, M., Frank, E., & Buysse, D.J. (2007). Attachment anxiety, relationship context, and sleep in women with recurrent major depression. Psychosomatic Medicine, 69, 692–699. doi:10.1097/psy.0b013e3180cc2ec7 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Troxel, W.M., & Germain, A. (2011). Insecure attachment is an independent correlate of objective sleep disturbances in military veterans. Sleep Medicine, 12, 860–865. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2011.07.005 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Uchino, B.N. (2009). Understanding the links between social support and physical health: A life-span perspective with emphasis on the separability of perceived and received support. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4, 236–255. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01122.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, D., Clark, L.A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063–1070. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.54.6. 1063 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weich, S. (2010). The epidemiology of sleep and depression. In Cappuccio, F.P., Miller, M.A., & Locklet, S.W. (Eds.), Sleep, health and society: From aetiology to public health (pp. 178–190). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar