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Bröning S, Wartberg L. Attachment Orientations: Associations with Romantic Partners' Self-Regulation and Dyadic Coping. JOURNAL OF SEX & MARITAL THERAPY 2024; 50:512-526. [PMID: 38487958 DOI: 10.1080/0092623x.2024.2322566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The ability to effectively cope with stress is impacted by early relationship experiences and, thus, is related to attachment security. We examined how different forms of attachment insecurity (namely, attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) impact romantic partners' capacity for coping with stress individually (via self-regulation) and together (via dyadic coping) in a community sample of 261 heterosexual couples. We also explored links between these coping strategies and measures of well-being. Multiple regression analyses in this cross-sectional, self-report study indicated that attachment avoidance, but not anxiety, was linked to less effective dyadic coping. In men, this was also the case for partner's attachment avoidance. Attachment anxiety, but not avoidance, was related to self-regulation problems for women, while in men, both facets of attachment insecurity were negatively associated with self-regulation. Individual and dyadic coping strategies each uniquely contributed to individuals' well-being and satisfaction with life. Relationship interventions and counseling processes might benefit from sensitizing clients for biographical influences on their coping strategies.
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Eckstein M, Stößel G, Gerchen MF, Bilek E, Kirsch P, Ditzen B. Neural responses to instructed positive couple interaction: an fMRI study on compliment sharing. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:7059379. [PMID: 36852857 PMCID: PMC9976881 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Love is probably the most fascinating feeling that a person ever experiences. However, little is known about what is happening in the brains of a romantic couple-the central and most salient relationship during adult age-while they are particularly tender and exchanging loving words with one another. To gain insight into nearly natural couple interaction, we collected data from N = 84 individuals (including N = 43 heterosexual couples) simultaneously in two functional magnetic resonance imaging scanners, while they sent and received compliments, i.e. short messages about what they liked about each other and their relationship. Activation patterns during compliment sharing in the individuals revealed a broad pattern of activated brain areas known to be involved in empathy and reward processing. Notably, the ventral striatum, including parts of the putamen, was activated particularly when selecting messages for the partner. This provides initial evidence that giving a verbal treat to a romantic partner seems to involve neural reward circuitry in the basal ganglia. These results can have important implications for the neurobiological mechanisms protecting and stabilizing romantic relationships, which build a highly relevant aspect of human life and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Eckstein
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Bergheimer Str. 20, Heidelberg, 69115, Germany
| | - Gabriela Stößel
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim 68159, Germany
| | - Martin Fungisai Gerchen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim 68159, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Heidelberg/Mannheim, Mannheim 68159, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69115, Germany
| | - Edda Bilek
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim 68159, Germany
| | - Peter Kirsch
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim 68159, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Heidelberg/Mannheim, Mannheim 68159, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69115, Germany
| | - Beate Ditzen
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Bergheimer Str. 20, Heidelberg, 69115, Germany.,Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69115, Germany
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Zietlow AL, Woll CFJ, Nonnenmacher N, Müller M, Labonte V, Ditzen B, Paulus M, Sodian B, Nater UM, Herpertz SC, Reck C. Study protocol of the COMPARE-Interaction study: the impact of maternal comorbid depression and anxiety disorders in the peripartum period on child development. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e050437. [PMID: 35058257 PMCID: PMC8783832 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION To date, there are only few studies that compare the consequences of peripartum maternal depressive disorders (PD) versus depressive with comorbid anxiety disorders (PDCA) for infant and child development. As comorbidity is associated with greater impairment and symptom severity related to the primary diagnosis, comorbidity in mothers might raise their offspring's risk of developing internalising or externalising disorders even more than has been noted in conjunction with PD alone. METHODS AND ANALYSIS This study aims to analyse the impact of parental psychopathology, particularly peripartum depression in mothers with and without comorbid anxiety disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) on child cognitive and socioemotional development. Maternal/paternal psychopathology, mother-infant/father-infant interaction and child development are assessed at four measurement points over the first 2 years (T1: 3-4 months postpartum, T2: 12 months postpartum, T3: 18 months postpartum and T4: 24 months postpartum). The mediating role of mother-infant/father-infant interaction and infant stress reactivity in the relationship between PD/PDCA and infant cognitive and socioemotional development will be analysed. In the ongoing study, 174 families (n=58 mothers with PD, n=58 mothers with PDCA and n=58 healthy controls) will be recruited in inpatient and outpatient centres as well as maternity hospitals in Munich and Heidelberg. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION This study is implemented in accordance with the current guidelines of the World Medical Association (revised Declaration of Helsinki) and the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union. The study procedures were approved by the independent ethics committees of the Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (74_Reck_b) and of the Medical Faculty, University Heidelberg (S-446/2017). Participation is voluntary. A signed written informed consent form must be obtained from each study subject prior to any study-specific procedure. Participants can withdraw from the study at any point in time without giving a reason or being subjected to any future disadvantages. In case of withdrawal from the study, the subject's data and material will be kept unless the participant asks for data removal. Results will be published and disseminated to further the discussion on the effects of maternal PD and PDCA on parent-infant interaction, infant stress reactivity and child development. Furthermore, study results will be presented at international congresses and expert conferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Lena Zietlow
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christian Franz Josef Woll
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology of Children and Adolescents, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Nora Nonnenmacher
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Centre of Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mitho Müller
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology of Children and Adolescents, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Verena Labonte
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology of Children and Adolescents, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Beate Ditzen
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Centre of Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Paulus
- Department of Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Beate Sodian
- Department of Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Urs M Nater
- Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Centre of Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Corinna Reck
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology of Children and Adolescents, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
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Pfeifer AC, Schroeder-Pfeifer P, Schneider E, Schick M, Heinrichs M, Bodenmann G, Ehlert U, Herpertz SC, Läuchli S, Eckstein M, Ditzen B. Oxytocin and positive couple interaction affect the perception of wound pain in everyday life. Mol Pain 2021; 16:1744806920918692. [PMID: 32308117 PMCID: PMC7171986 DOI: 10.1177/1744806920918692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A large body of animal and human laboratory research has linked social interaction and support to pain perception, with a possible role for the neuropeptide oxytocin as a neuroendocrine mediator. However so far, it has been unclear whether these effects translate to ecologically valid everyday life behavior and pain perception. In a randomized placebo-controlled study, a standard suction blister skin wound was induced to N = 80 romantic couples (N = 160 individuals). Couples then received intranasal oxytocin or placebo twice daily and were either instructed to perform a positive social interaction (partner appraisal task, PAT) once in the laboratory and two times during the following five days, or not. During these days, all participants reported their subjective pain levels multiple times a day using ecologically momentary assessment. Results from hierarchical linear modeling suggest that pain levels within the couples were inter-related. In men, but not in women, oxytocin reduced pain levels. Women reported lower pain levels in the group of positive social interaction, while this effect did not show in men. These results suggest that intranasal oxytocin might have sex-specific effects with pain reducing effects in men but the opposite effects in women. In contrast, especially women benefit from positive interaction in terms of dampened pain levels after positive interaction. The results add to the evidence for health-beneficial effects of positive couple interaction and point to underlying neuroendocrine mechanisms in everyday life pain specifically. The sex-specific effects, in particular, may have implications for psychopharmacological treatment of pain in men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Christin Pfeifer
- Department of Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery and Paraplegiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.,Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Paul Schroeder-Pfeifer
- Institute of Psychosocial Prevention, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ekaterina Schneider
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Maren Schick
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Heinrichs
- Differential and Biological Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Freiburg University, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Guy Bodenmann
- Family Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ulrike Ehlert
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Severin Läuchli
- Dermatological Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Monika Eckstein
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Beate Ditzen
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Egloff G, Djordjevic D. Challenges for Behavioral Neuroscience: Prenatal, Postnatal, and Social Factors. Behav Neurosci 2019. [DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.85368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Ditzen B, Eckstein M, Fischer M, Aguilar-Raab C. Partnerschaft und Gesundheit. PSYCHOTHERAPEUT 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00278-019-00379-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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Aguilar-Raab C, Eckstein M, Geracitano S, Prevost M, Gold I, Heinrichs M, Bilderbeck A, Ehlert U, Ditzen B. Oxytocin Modulates the Cognitive Appraisal of the Own and Others Close Intimate Relationships. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:714. [PMID: 31379475 PMCID: PMC6646594 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Close and intimate relationships are important promoters of health. Oxytocin and its association with social cognition have been investigated in a large number of studies, especially highlighting the neuropeptide's involvement in attachment behavior and intimate relationships. However, mixed findings on exogenous oxytocin application have led to the focus on moderators and mediators, suggesting that the effects are depended on specific factors - namely context and salience. The objective of the current study was to assess the effect of intranasal oxytocin on social appraisal of own and others' close intimate relationship characteristics. Different characteristics of relationships, including trust or closeness, between romantic couples (unknown and own) were assessed using the Couple Appraisal Task. In a randomized controlled double-blind cross-over within subject design, N = 71 healthy men and women were investigated after receiving first intranasal oxytocin and 2 weeks later placebo, or vice versa. We found an oxytocin-induced increase in the positive appraisal of one's own overall relationship characteristics but not in the evaluation of the relationship of others. The present study - one of the first of its kind administrating oxytocin in a repeated measures cross-over design - adds further evidence to the mediating role of oxytocin in social cognition, specifically with regard to romantic relationship characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corina Aguilar-Raab
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Monika Eckstein
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Susanne Geracitano
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marie Prevost
- Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ian Gold
- Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Markus Heinrichs
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory for Biological and Personality Psychology, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Amy Bilderbeck
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ulrike Ehlert
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beate Ditzen
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Naruse SM, Moss M. Positive Massage for Couples’ Wellbeing and Relationships: The Bridge between Positive Psychology and Massage. Health (London) 2019. [DOI: 10.4236/health.2019.1112122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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