We're in this together: Attachment insecurities, dyadic coping strategies, and relationship satisfaction in couples involved in medically assisted reproduction

Attachment is an important predictor of relationship satisfaction and attachment insecurities are a risk factor for couples under stress. Drawing from the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation model, we investigated whether dyadic coping strategies (DCS) would explain the links between attachment insecurities and relationship satisfaction in 97 couples involved in medically assisted reproduction (MAR). Path analyses revealed that for women and men, attachment insecurities (anxiety, avoidance) were associated with their own lower relationship satisfaction through their lower use of positive DCS. Attachment avoidance was also associated with participants' own lower relationship satisfaction through their own lower use of negative DCS. Men's attachment avoidance was also related to their partner's lower relationship satisfaction via their own and their partner's lower use of positive DCS. The findings suggest that promoting the use of positive DCS may be important to preserve relationship satisfaction in couples involved in MAR.

Automated summary

This study examined the relationship between attachment insecurities and relationship satisfaction in couples involved in medically assisted reproduction (MAR) and found that dyadic coping strategies (DCS) mediate this relationship. Specifically, attachment insecurities (anxiety, avoidance) were associated with lower relationship satisfaction through lower use of positive DCS for both women and men. Attachment avoidance was also related to lower relationship satisfaction through lower use of negative DCS. Additionally, men's attachment avoidance was associated with their partner's lower relationship satisfaction through lower use of positive DCS by both themselves and their partner. These findings highlight the importance of promoting the use of positive DCS for maintaining relationship satisfaction in couples involved in MAR.