Romantic attachment and subtypes/dimensions of jealousy

The Impact of Romantic Attachment Styles on Jealousy in Young Adults

Background

Romantic attachment is reflected in various aspects of dyadic interaction in a couple, since it is a self-reinforcing system of cognitive, emotional and behavioral patterns. Romantic jealousy was shown to be associated with dimensions of attachment insecurity in various studies worldwide.

Objectives

To identify differences in expressions of romantic jealousy based on romantic attachment style. To determine the influence of attachment-related anxiety and attachment-related avoidance on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral jealousy.

Design

The sample comprised 171 heterosexual individuals. The "Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised" questionnaire (ECR-R; Fraley, Waller, & Brennan, 2000; adapted for Russian by Chursina, 2022) and "Multidimensional Jealousy Scale" (MJS; Pfeiffer, & Wong, 1989) were used.

Results

A number of significant differences were identified between insecure and secure attachment styles. Avoidant attachment is characterized by cognitive jealousy, ambivalent attachment is characterized by cognitive and behavioral jealousy, while dismissing attachment showed no significant differences in the manifestations of jealousy in comparison with secure attachment style. Emotional jealousy is equally characteristic of all types. The primacy of romantic attachment in relation to cognitive and behavioral jealousy was also proved.

Conclusion

The experience of jealousy differs among romantic attachment styles. Attachment-related anxiety is a predictor of intrusive thoughts and behavioral manifestations of jealousy, while attachment-related avoidance is less, the greater the manifestation of jealousy behaviors.

The influence of insecure attachment on undergraduates' jealousy: the mediating effect of self-differentiation

Background

Jealousy is a complex emotion and can be healthy or pathological, depending on the intensity and the degree of control. Excessive jealousy was characterized by anxiety, anger, and alienation in the insecure attachment relationship.

Objective

To explore how insecure attachment triggered this intense emotion, this study investigated the relationship between two insecure attachment dimensions and jealousy and explored the influence of self-differentiation on the relationship.

Method

A total of 477 undergraduates participated in the study, and the Bringle self-report jealousy scale (BSJS), the relationship questionnaire (RQ), the intimate relationship experience questionnaire (ECR), and the revised edition of self-the differentiation questionnaire (DSR) were used.

Result

The results showed that: (1) attachment anxiety had a significant positive predictive effect on jealousy, but attachment avoidance had no significant positive predictive effect; (2) self-differentiation partially mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and jealousy, but it has no significant mediating effect between attachment avoidance and jealousy.

Conclusion

The results suggest that attachment anxiety was correlated with jealousy because it strengthened the intensity of anxiety and anger toward their attachment figures and became out of control through a lower level of self-differentiation, which has important implications for clinical intervention.

A Bayesian predictive processing account of Othello syndrome in Parkinson's disease

Introduction: Although delusions in Parkinson's disease (PD) are rare, when they occur they frequently take the form of "Othello syndrome": the irrational belief that a spouse or partner is being unfaithful. Hitherto dismissed as either a by-product of dopamine therapy or cognitive impairment, there are still no convincing theoretical accounts to explain why only some patients fall prey to this delusion, or why it persists despite clear disconfirmatory evidence.Methods: We discuss the limitations of existing explanations of this delusion, namely hyperdopaminergia-induced anomalous perceptual experiences and cognitive impairment, before describing how Bayesian predictive processing accounts can provide a more comprehensive explanation by foregrounding the importance of prior experience and its impact upon computation of probability. We illustrate this new conceptualisation with three case vignettes.Results: We suggest that in those with prior experience of romantic betrayal, hyperdominergic-induced aberrant prediction errors enable anomalous perceptual experiences to accrue greater prominence, which is then maintained through Bayes-optimal inferencing to confirm cognitive distortions, eliciting and shaping this dangerous delusion.Conclusions: We propose the first comprehensive mechanistic account of Othello syndrome in PD and discuss implications for clinical interventions.

Gender, Relationship Concerns, and Intimate Partner Violence in Young Adulthood

Purpose

Few studies have examined gender-specific concerns within intimate relationships that may be associated with conflict escalation and intimate partner violence (IPV). While prior theorizing has emphasized issues such as men's feelings of jealousy, the role of concerns and conflict related to men's actions has not been as thoroughly investigated. We draw on the life course perspective as background for assessing conflict areas related to men's and women's actions during the young adult period, and subsequently the association between such concerns and the odds of reporting IPV in a current/most recent relationship.

Method

Building on a longitudinal data set focused on a large, diverse sample (Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study, n = 904), we administered surveys that assessed whether disagreements about potential conflict areas-including but not limited to infidelity-related to male or female partner's actions.

Results

Concerns about women's and men's actions were both related to the odds of reporting IPV experience, but disagreements about male partners' actions during young adulthood were actually more common, and relative to concerns about women's actions, more strongly associated with IPV.

Conclusions

Research and programmatic efforts should give additional attention to specific areas around which couples' disagreements develop and conflicts sometimes escalate. A dyadic approach adds to the frequent emphasis on emotion management and control that center primarily on one partner's problematic relationship style-thus addressing the 'form' but not the 'content' of intimate partner conflicts. This approach would highlight a broader range of relationship dynamics than are currently included in theorizing and applied efforts.

Antecedents of problematic social media use and cyberbullying among adolescents: attachment, the dark triad and rejection sensitivity

With the acceleration of internet use, problematic social media use (PSMU) is included in our lives. When looking at the antecedents of PSMU, being young has been found to be a risk factor for PSMU. In addition to the benefits of technological advances in education and training, rapid technological developments may also result in problematic behaviors, especially among children and young. Recently, possibilities brought by technology and more widespread use of technology by young people have created a new concept, namely, cyberbullying. The present study aims to examine the effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on PSMU and cyberbullying as with the partial mediating effects of the Dark Triad personality traits, angry rejection sensitivity, and anxious rejection sensitivity among adolescents. In general, the findings supported the proposed theoretical model. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications along with suggestions for future research.

Evaluación de la asociación entre el estilo de apego parental y los celos románticos en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios colombianos

El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar la relación entre el estilo de apego parental y los celos románticos en un grupo de jóvenes universitarios colombianos entre los 18 y 25 años. Participaron de manera voluntaria 614 jóvenes, 421 mujeres (69%) y 193 hombres (31%), con una relación de pareja vigente de más de seis meses de duración. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron el Inventario de Apego con Padres y Pares (IPPA, Armsden y Greenberg, 1987, adaptada por Rocha, Benítez, De-Irala, sin publicar), con el cual se evaluó el apego parental con respecto a su cuidador primario, y la Escala Interpersonal de Celos (Mathes y Severa, 1981, adaptada por Martínez-León, Mathes, Avendaño, Peña y Sierra, 2018) con la cual se midieron los celos románticos en la relación de pareja de los participantes. Los resultados mostraron que en la variable estrato socioeconómico nivel medio (estratos 3 y 4) existe una relación significativa (p = .023) la cual indica que, en esta muestra específica, el estilo de apego parental está asociado con el nivel de los celos románticos en la relación de pareja.

An exploratory study of the heterogeneity of the jealousy phenomenon and its associations with affective temperaments and psychopathological dimensions in a large Brazilian sample

BACKGROUND

Jealousy is a heterogenous emotion on a spectrum from normality to psychopathology. The relationship between different jealousy subtypes/dimensions and affective temperaments remain unknown. In addition, few large surveys have investigated the associations between jealousy subtypes and psychopathological dimensions.

METHODS

A Brazilian Portuguese version of the "Questionario della Gelosia" (QUEGE) was developed. We obtained data from an anonymous web-based research platform. Socio-demographic data was obtained and participants answered the QUEGE, the TEMPS-Rio de Janeiro, and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R).

RESULTS

2042 participants (29% men, 71% female, mean age+SD: 28.9±8.8 years), took part in this survey. Confirmatory factor analysis provided a five-factor model for the QUEGE with self-esteem, paranoia, interpersonal sensitivity, fear of being abandoned, and obsessive dimensions. The anxious, irritable, cyclothymic, and depressive temperaments were independently associated with jealousy dimensions, whereas the hyperthymic temperament was associated with lower scores on the self-esteem jealousy dimension (N=2042, P<0.001). Jealousy subtypes were dissimilarly associated with SCL-90R psychopathological dimensions, whereas the 'obsessive' jealousy dimension was not significantly associated with SCL-90R dimension scores. We found no independent influence of gender across any jealousy dimension.

LIMITATIONS

A convenience web-based sample was employed. Cross-sectional design precludes the establishment of causal inferences.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicate that a five-factor solution may provide the best-fit model for the QUEGE. Different jealousy subtypes were independently associated with affective temperaments and psychopathological dimensions. These associations reported herein should be confirmed in prospective studies.

[Development of the Trait Respect-Related Emotions Scale for late adolescence]

This study developed a scale to measure the respect-related emotional traits (the Trait Respect-Related Emotions Scale) for late adolescence and examined the reliability and validity. In study 1,368 university students completed the items of the Trait Respect-Related Emotions Scale and other scales of theoretically important personality constructs including adult attachment style, the "Big Five," self-esteem, and two types of narcissistic personality. Factor analysis indicated that there are three factors of trait respect-related emotions: (a) trait (prototypical) respect; (b) trait idolatry (worship and adoration); and (c) trait awe. The three traits associated differentially with the daily experience (frequency) of the five basic respect-related emotions (prototypical respect, idolatry, awe, admiration, and wonder), and other constructs. In Study 2, a test-retest correlation of the new scale with 60 university students indicated good reliability. Both studies generally supported the reliability and validity of the new scale. These findings suggest that, at Ieast in late adolescence, there are large individual differences in respect-related emotion experiences and the trait of respect should be considered as multi-dimensional structure.

Pathological jealousy: romantic relationship characteristics, emotional and personality aspects, and social adjustment

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to identify romantic relationship characteristics, emotional and personality aspects and social adjustment in subjects with pathological jealousy (PJ) and to compare them to control group.

METHODS

The participants, 32 individuals with PJ and 31 healthy volunteers completed measures of jealousy intensity, attachment type, love and relationship styles, personality, impulsivity, aggressiveness and social adjustment. Socio-demographic profiles were also obtained.

RESULTS

Participants with PJ were significantly older than the control group, but no other important socio-demographic differences were observed. Participants with PJ were significantly more jealous and were predominately categorized with anxious-ambivalent attachment type, and Mania love style. They presented with elevated novelty seeking and harm avoidance, low self-directedness and cooperativeness, high levels of impulsivity and trait anxiety, and poor social adjustment. Multivariate analysis showed that jealousy intensity and trait anxiety were the variables that best distinguished participants with PJ from the control group.

LIMITATIONS

This study was limited by the cross-sectional design and relatively small sample size.

CONCLUSIONS

PJ presents a particular pattern of attachment, love style, and personality structure, and deserves further attention as a specific potential disorder of the romantic bonding.

Dimorphic changes of some features of loving relationships during long-term use of antidepressants in depressed outpatients

The present study aimed at investigating the possible changes of some features of loving relationships during long-term treatment of depression with both selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclics (TCAs), by means of a specifically designed test, the so-called "Sex, Attachment, Love" (SALT) questionnaire. The sample was composed by 192 outpatients (123 women and 69 men, mean age±SD: 41.2±10.2 years), suffering from mild or moderate depression, according to DSM-IV-TR criteria, that were selected if they were treated with one antidepressant only for at least six months and were involved in a loving relationship. The results showed that SSRIs had a significant impact on the feelings of love and attachment towards the partner especially in men, while women taking TCAs complained of more sexual side effects than men. These data were supported also by the detection of a significant interaction between drug and sex on the "Love" and "Sex" domains. The present findings, while demonstrating a dimorphic effect of antidepressants on some component of loving relationships, need to be deepened in future studies.