Dating disagreements in adolescents: The role of daily romantic attachment and stress

Abstract

Dating disagreements consist of divergences between partners’ opinions or needs. When left unresolved, dating disagreements may escalate into conflicts and even sometimes, to dating violence perpetration (DVP). Several risk factors have been documented for conflicts and DVP in adolescents, such as stress, attachment insecurities, and prior DVP, but they have never been explored in association with the events that usually precede conflicts and DVP: disagreements. This study aimed to examine (1) how adolescents’ variations in daily stress and attachment are associated with their probability of experiencing daily disagreements and their resolutions, and (2) whether adolescents’ DVP history moderates these associations. A sample of 216 dating adolescents answered a baseline questionnaire measuring DVP in the prior year and completed a 14-day online assessment of their stress, attachment states (anxiety, avoidance), dating disagreement occurrence, and resolution. Multilevel models indicated that on days when adolescents reported being more stressed or avoidant than usual, probability of disagreement occurrence was higher and of resolution weaker. Interaction effects of prior DVP were found for within and between-level attachment anxiety and between-level stress. Daily variations in stress and attachment may make adolescents vulnerable to disagreement, notably for those with prior DVP experiences. These findings support the relevance of examining daily variations in risk factors of dating disagreements and provide cues to enhance healthy dating relationships promotion programs developed for youth.