Insecure Attachment and Mental Health in Married Couples

Insecure attachment has been found to affect an individual's mental health. However, more studies are needed on how individual's insecure attachment contributes to the partner's mental health in couples. The present study examined the dyadic associations between insecure attachment and mental health in couples. Using data from 222 opposite-sex Turkish married couples (Mwives = 38.26 years, Mhusbands = 41.21), we sought to investigate whether individuals' anxious attachment and avoidant attachment were associated with their own as well as with the spouses' depression and anxiety. Actor-partner interdependence model analysis revealed that both husbands' and wives' anxious attachment were linked with their own depression and anxiety. Also, husbands' anxious attachment was associated with wives' anxiety. For avoidant attachment, both husbands' and wives' avoidant attachment were associated with their own depression, and husbands' avoidant attachment was associated with their own anxiety. Anxious attachment explained more variance in anxiety than in depression, whereas avoidant attachment explained more variance in depression. The findings provide valuable insights for couple therapists and mental health professionals, emphasizing the consideration of partners' anxious attachment when working with women who experience symptoms of anxiety. Integrating these findings into attachment-based couple interventions may prove useful in coping with symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. Overall, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics within insecure attachment and mental health, highlighting the importance of prioritizing the establishment of secure attachment for mental health.