Testing the Associations Between Attachment Anxiety, Relational Aggression and Depressive Symptoms in Romantic Relationships: Actor-Partner Interdependence Model and Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediator Model

• Published in: Journal of youth and adolescence Vol. 53; no. 12; pp. 2776 - 2788
• Main Authors: Zhao, Chengjia, Ding, Huimin, Ren, Lvzhou, He, Jiankang, Du, Mingxuan, Hu, Haiyan, Shen, Xinhua, Yu, Guoliang, Zhang, Guohua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adults; Aggression; Aggressiveness; Anxiety; Attachment; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Clinical Psychology; Couples; Empirical Research; Health Psychology; History of Psychology; Law and Psychology; Life transitions; Mental depression; Personal relationships; Psychological distress; Psychology; Romantic relationships; Victimization; Depressive symptoms; Relational aggression; Emerging adulthood; Attachment anxiety; Actor-Partner Interdependence Model
• ISSN: 0047-2891; 1573-6601; 1573-6601
• DOI: 10.1007/s10964-024-02030-6

Emerging adulthood is a pivotal period for romantic relationships, yet the specific mechanisms through which attachment anxiety influences relationship dynamics and psychological outcomes in this phase are poorly understood. Particularly, in the context of romantic dyads, understanding how partners’ behaviors and emotional patterns reciprocally influence each other remains underexplored. This study utilizes the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model and Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediator Model to explore the relationship between attachment anxiety,relational aggression (both perpetration and victimization), and depressive symptoms among emerging adults. A sample of 138 mixed-sex emerging adulthood couples from China, was recruited (M age  = 21.40, SD = 2.54; 50% female, 62.6% reporting that this relationship was ongoing for more than a year). Attachment anxiety significantly predicted relational aggression in both partners, with male attachment anxiety also significantly predicted female relational aggression. Significant indirect effects of both partners’ relational aggression perpetration and victimization on their own and each other’s relationship between attachment anxiety and depressive symptoms. These findings contribute to understanding the intricate dynamics of attachment anxiety and relational aggression in romantic relationships during emerging adulthood, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to mitigate these risks.