How Do Partner Support, Psychological Aggression, and Attachment Anxiety Contribute to Distressed Couples’ Relationship Outcomes?

Abstract

Few studies have simultaneously looked at the relative contribution of positive and negative behaviors to understand relationship outcomes. This study examined the relative roles of perceived partner support and psychological aggression in two relationship outcomes—relationship satisfaction and the willingness to invest in the relationship—as well as the contribution of attachment anxiety as a moderator in 307 couples seeking relationship therapy. Path analyses revealed that perceived partner support was associated with individuals’ own higher relationship satisfaction and willingness to invest in the relationship. Attachment anxiety moderated these associations. Perceived partner psychological aggression was not associated with relationship outcomes.

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank all the psychologists at the Clinique de consultation conjugale et familiale Poitras-Wright, Côté for their assistance in data collection.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by a grant awarded to K.P. from the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et Culture (2015-RG-178804) and a doctoral scholarship awarded to T.L. from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.