Rosabel Tan, Nickola C. Overall, and Jasmine K. Taylor, Department of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Let's talk about us: Attachment, relationship-focused disclosure, and relationship quality
Article first published online: 14 OCT 2011
DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2011.01383.x
Copyright © 2011 IARR
Additional Information
How to Cite
TAN, R., OVERALL, N. C. and TAYLOR, J. K. (2012), Let's talk about us: Attachment, relationship-focused disclosure, and relationship quality. Personal Relationships, 19: 521–534. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2011.01383.x
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Rosabel Tan, Nickola C. Overall, and Jasmine K. Taylor, Department of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 5 SEP 2012
- Article first published online: 14 OCT 2011
- Abstract
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This research tested whether attachment avoidance and anxiety were associated with couples' (N = 59) disclosure during recorded discussions of recent events. The links between attachment and disclosure with relationship quality across 1 year were also assessed. Attachment was not associated with amount or intimacy of disclosure, but greater attachment anxiety was associated with more relationship-focused disclosure, whereas attachment avoidance was associated with less relationship-focused disclosure. Relationship-focused disclosure was also positively associated with relationship quality across time, whereas attachment avoidance predicted lower relationship quality. These findings indicate that spontaneous relationship-focused disclosure during routine conversations helps maintain relationships, but because people high in avoidance are less focused on sustaining closeness, their relationships tend to deteriorate over time.