Rachel R R Francois-Walcott, Rhia E Perks, Laura M Vowels, Katherine B Carnelley
{"title":"Insecure attachment and support-seeking during COVID-19: a sequential mixed methods investigation.","authors":"Rachel R R Francois-Walcott, Rhia E Perks, Laura M Vowels, Katherine B Carnelley","doi":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2349577","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic led many couples to stay at home together with minimal contact with others. As social distancing measures reduced contact with outside households, many partners could seek support only from one another. In two studies using a sequential mixed methods design, we investigated support-seeking behaviors in romantic relationships during COVID-19. In the qualitative study, semi-structured interviews (<i>n</i> = 48) showed differences in how and why partners seek support with an initial consideration of the role of attachment. We identified the following themes: direct support-seeking, indirect support-seeking, (in)dependence, and gender dynamics. In the quantitative study (<i>n</i> = 588), high COVID-19 worry, high attachment anxiety, and low attachment avoidance were associated with more support-seeking. Interestingly, we also found that when COVID-19 worry was high, individuals high in attachment avoidance were more likely to report seeking support. The paper provides a unique insight into the impact of COVID-19 on support-seeking behaviors in romantic relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":8632,"journal":{"name":"Attachment & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"159-180"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Attachment & Human Development","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2024.2349577","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/5/4 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic led many couples to stay at home together with minimal contact with others. As social distancing measures reduced contact with outside households, many partners could seek support only from one another. In two studies using a sequential mixed methods design, we investigated support-seeking behaviors in romantic relationships during COVID-19. In the qualitative study, semi-structured interviews (n = 48) showed differences in how and why partners seek support with an initial consideration of the role of attachment. We identified the following themes: direct support-seeking, indirect support-seeking, (in)dependence, and gender dynamics. In the quantitative study (n = 588), high COVID-19 worry, high attachment anxiety, and low attachment avoidance were associated with more support-seeking. Interestingly, we also found that when COVID-19 worry was high, individuals high in attachment avoidance were more likely to report seeking support. The paper provides a unique insight into the impact of COVID-19 on support-seeking behaviors in romantic relationships.
期刊介绍:
Attachment & Human Development is the leading forum for the presentation of empirical research, reviews and clinical case studies that reflect contemporary advances in attachment theory and research. The journal addresses the growing demand from the domains of psychology, psychiatry, psychotherapy and related disciplines including nursing and social work, for a clear presentation of ideas, methods and research based on attachment theory.