A Mediational Model of Adult Attachment, Attributions, and Relationship Quality in Couple Relationships

Adults’ close relationships involve complex emotions, cognitions, and behaviours, and many factors affect perceptions of relationship quality. This study explored attachment-related differences in perceived relationship quality using a sample of 329 adults who were in romantic relationships of at least three months duration. Participants responded to an online survey that assessed the dimensions of attachment anxiety and avoidance, personality (extraversion and neuroticism), perceived relationship quality, and attributions for negative partner behaviour as portrayed in a relationship conflict vignette. In past research, both adult attachment dimensions and attributions have been found to correlate with relationship quality. This study tested the mediating role of attributions in the associations of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance with perceived relationship quality. In addition, attachment dimensions were expected to predict significant variance in relationship quality over and above that explained by the personality scales. Using bootstrapping analysis, support was found for all mediational hypotheses; that is, results supported partial mediation from attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance through attributions to relationship quality. Further, hierarchical multiple regression analysis confirmed that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance explained a significant amount of variance in perceived relationship quality, even after neuroticism and extraversion were controlled for. These findings provide directions for relationship education programs and interventions, and may help clinicians in the conceptualisation and treatment of problems related to attachment insecurities and relationship conflict.