The current research focuses on the detrimental effects of attachment insecurities on sexuality and relationship quality. A community sample of 96 women completed self-report scales tapping attachment orientations; relationship satisfaction; sex-related affect and cognitions; and sexual functioning. Findings indicate that although both attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with aversive sexual affect and cognitions, attachment anxiety was more detrimental to sexual functioning. In addition, only attachment anxiety was significantly associated with relational and sexual dissatisfaction, however, sexual satisfaction mediates the association between attachment anxiety and relationship satisfaction. The possibility that attachment orientations are associated with different strategies and interaction goals in the operation of the sexual system within romantic relationships is discussed.
Barlow, D. H. (1986). Causes of sexual dysfunction: The role of anxiety and cognitive interference . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 140-148 .
2.
Baron, R. M. , & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182 .
3.
Birnbaum, G. E. , & Gillath, O. (2006). Measuring subgoals of the sexual behavioral system: What is sex good for?Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23, 675-701 .
4.
Birnbaum, G. E. , Glaubman, H. , & Mikulincer, M. (2001). Women’s experiences of heterosexual intercourse: Scale construction, factor structure, and relations to orgasmic disorder . The Journal of Sex Research, 38, 191-204 .
5.
Birnbaum, G. E. , & Laser-Brandt, D. (2002). Gender differences in the experience of heterosexual intercourse . The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 11, 143-158 .
6.
Birnbaum, G. E. , & Reis, H. T. (in press). Women’s sexual working models: An evolutionary-attachment perspective . The Journal of Sex Research.
7.
Birnbaum, G. E. , Reis, H. T. , Mikulincer, M. , Gillath, O. , & Orpaz, A. (2006). When sex is more than just sex: Attachment orientations, sexual experience, and relationship quality . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 929-943 .
8.
Bogaert, A. F. , & Sadava, S. (2002). Adult attachment and sexual behavior . Personal Relationships, 9, 191-204 .
9.
Bowlby, J. (1969/1982). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment (2nd ed.). New York: Basic Books .
10.
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separation: Anxiety and anger. New York: Basic Books .
11.
Brennan, K. A. , Clark, C. L. , & Shaver, P. R. (1998). Self-report measurement of adult attachment: An integrative overview. In J. A. Simpson & W. S. Rholes (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 46-76). New York: Guilford Press .
12.
Brennan, K. A. , & Shaver, P. R. (1995). Dimensions of adult attachment, affect regulation, and romantic relationship functioning . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 267-283 .
13.
Brennan, K. A. , Wu, S. , & Loev, J. (1998). Adult romantic attachment and individual differences in attitudes toward physical contact in the context of adult romantic relationships. In J. A. Simpson & W. S. Rholes (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 248-256). New York: Guilford Press .
14.
Buss, D. M. , & Kenrick, D. T. (1998). Evolutionary social psychology. In D. T. Gilbert , S. T. Fiske , & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 982-1026). New York: McGraw-Hill .
15.
Collins, N. L. , & Read, S. J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 644-663 .
16.
Cooper, M. L. , Pioli, M. , Levitt, A. , Talley, A. , Micheas, L. , & Collins, N. L. (2006). Attachment styles, sex motives, and sexual behavior: Evidence for gender specific expressions of attachment dynamics. In M. Mikulincer & G. S. Goodman (Eds.), Dynamics of love: Attachment, caregiving, and sex (pp. 243-274). New York: Guilford Press .
17.
Cyranowski, J. M. , & Andersen, B. L. (1998). Schemas, sexuality, and romantic attachment . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1364-1379 .
18.
Davis, D. , Shaver, P. R. , & Vernon, M. L. (2004). Attachment style and subjective motivations for sex . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 1076-1090 .
19.
DeLamater, A. (1987). Gender differences in sexual scenarios. In K. Kelley (Ed.), Females, males, and sexuality (pp. 127-140). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press .
20.
Downey, G. , Freitas, A. L. , Michaelis, B. , & Khouri, H. (1998). The self-fulfilling prophecy in close relationships: Rejection sensitivity and rejection by romantic partners . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 545-560 .
21.
Feeney, J. A. (1999). Adult romantic attachment and couple relationships. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 355-377). New York: Guilford Press .
22.
Feeney, J. A. , & Noller, P. (2004). Attachment and sexuality in close relationships. In J. H. Harvey , A. Wenzel , & S. Sprecher (Eds.), Handbook of sexuality in close relationships (pp. 183-201). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum .
23.
Feeney, J. A. , Peterson, C. , Gallois, C. , & Terry, D. J. (2000). Attachment style as a predictor of sexual attitudes and behavior in late adolescence . Psychology and Health, 14, 1105-1122 .
24.
Gagnon, J. H. , & Simon, W. (1973). Sexual conduct: The social sources of human sexuality. Chicago: Aldine .
25.
Gentzler, A. L. , & Kerns, K. A. (2004). Associations between insecure attachment and sexual experiences . Personal Relationships, 11, 249-265 .
26.
Hartman, L. M. (1983). Effects of sex and marital therapy on sexual interaction and marital happiness . Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 9, 137-151 .
27.
Hassebrauck, M. , & Fehr, B. (2002). Dimensions of relationship quality . Personal Relationships, 9, 253-270 .
28.
Hazan, C. , & Shaver, P. R. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511-524 .
29.
Hazan, C. , & Zeifman, D. (1994). Sex and the psychological tether. In K. Bartholomew & D. Perlman (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships: Vol. 5. Attachment processes in adulthood (pp. 151-177). London: Jessica Kingsley .
30.
Hazan, C. , Zeifman, D. , & Middleton, K. (1994, July). Adult romantic attachment, affection, and sex . Paper presented at the 7th International Conference on Personal Relationships, Groningen, The Netherlands.
31.
Hendrick, S. S. (1988). A generic measure of relationship satisfaction . Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 93-98 .
32.
Kalichman, S. C. , Sarwer, D. B. , Johnson, J. R. , Ali, S. A. , Early, J. , & Tuten, J. T. (1993). Sexually coercive behavior and love styles: A replication and extension . Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 6, 93-106 .
33.
Kaplan, H. S. (1974). The new sex therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel .
34.
Kirkpatrick, L. A. , & Davis, K. E. (1994). Attachment style, gender, and relationship stability: A longitudinal analysis . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 502-512 .
35.
Kravetz, S. , Drory, Y. , & Shaked, A. (1999). The Israeli Sexual Behavior Inventory (ISBI): Scale construction and preliminary validation . Sexuality and Disability, 17, 115-128 .
36.
Main, M. (1990). Cross-cultural studies of attachment organization: Recent studies, changing methodologies, and the concept of conditional strategies . Human Development, 33, 48-61 .
37.
Mikulincer, M. , & Florian, V. (1999). The association between spouses’ self-reports of attachment styles and representations of family dynamics . Family Process, 38, 69-83 .
38.
Mikulincer, M. , & Florian, V. (2000). Exploring individual differences in reactions to mortality salience: Does attachment style regulate terror management mechanisms?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 260-273 .
39.
Mikulincer, M. , Florian, V. , Cowan, P. A. , & Cowan, C. P. (2002). Attachment security in couple relationships: A systemic model and its implications for family dynamics . Family Process, 41, 405-434 .
40.
Mikulincer, M. , & Shaver, P. R. (2003). The attachment behavioral system in adulthood: Activation, psychodynamics, and interpersonal processes. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 35, pp. 53-152). New York: Academic Press .
41.
Schachner, D. A. , & Shaver, P. R. (2002). Attachment style and human mate poaching . New Review of Social Psychology, 1, 122-129 .
42.
Schachner, D. A. , & Shaver, P. R. (2004). Attachment dimensions and motives for sex . Personal Relationships, 11, 179-195 .
43.
Shaver, P. R. , & Brennan, K. A. (1992). Attachment styles and the ‘Big Five’ personality traits: Their connections with each other and with romantic relationship outcomes . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 536-545 .
44.
Shaver, P. R. , & Mikulincer, M. (in press). A behavioral systems approach to romantic love relationships: Attachment, caregiving, and sex. In R. J. Sternberg & K. Weis (Eds.), The Psychology of Love (2nd ed.). New Heaven, CT: Yale University Press .
45.
Sprecher, S. (2002). Sexual satisfaction in premarital relationships: Associations with satisfaction, love, commitment, and stability . The Journal of Sex Research, 3, 1-7 .
46.
Sprecher, S. , & Cate, R. M. (2004). Sexual satisfaction and sexual expression as predictors of relationship satisfaction and stability. In J. H. Harvey , A. Wenzel , & S. Sprecher (Eds.), Handbook of sexuality in close relationships (pp. 235-256). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum .
47.
Stephan, C. W. , & Bachman, G. F. (1999). What’s sex got to do with it? Attachment, love schemas, and sexuality . Personal Relationships, 6, 111-123 .
48.
Tracy, J. L. , Shaver, P. R. , Albino, A. W. , & Cooper, M. L. (2003). Attachment styles and adolescent sexuality. In P. Florsheim (Ed.), Adolescent romance and sexual behavior: Theory, research, and practical implications (pp. 137-159). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum .
49.
Walen, S. R. (1980). Cognitive factors in sexual behavior . Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 6, 87-101 .
