Adult attachment and spousal reports of conflict and quality of partner interactions during a post-deployment reunion

Abstract

LAY SUMMARY The goal of this study was to understand whether spousal attachment is related to the quality of post-deployment interactions and issues of conflict reported by spouses of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members during a post-deployment reunion. A total of 104 spouses of CAF Regular Force personnel who had recently been reunited with their partners after a deployment were surveyed. Results showed that both attachment anxiety (fear of rejection and abandonment) and attachment avoidance (discomfort with emotional intimacy and closeness) were related to lower-quality post-deployment interactions and the reported frequency of particular conflict issues. Specifically, attachment anxiety was related to more reports of unmet emotional needs, difficulties re-establishing intimacy, finances, and being less likely to describe the conflict in positive terms. The relationship between attachment anxiety and the quality of post-deployment interactions was explained by feeling as though one’s original expectations of the reunion were not met.