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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Attachment Theory

Background:

  • Emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT) is an established treatment for relationship distress.
  • The impact of EFT on couples' relationship-specific attachment bonds requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the session-by-session effects of EFT on relationship-specific attachment anxiety and avoidance.
  • To assess pre- to posttherapy changes in couples' relationship-specific attachment behaviors.
  • To evaluate the association between attachment changes and relationship satisfaction.

Main Methods:

  • Hierarchical linear modeling was employed.
  • Data were collected from 32 couples undergoing EFT.
  • Session-by-session and pre- to posttherapy changes in attachment were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Couples demonstrated significant reductions in relationship-specific attachment avoidance.
  • A significant decrease in attachment anxiety was observed, particularly after blamer softening.
  • Attachment behaviors shifted towards increased security, correlating with reduced anxiety and avoidance.
  • Decreases in attachment anxiety and avoidance were linked to increased relationship satisfaction.

Conclusions:

  • The findings support the attachment-based theoretical underpinnings of EFT.
  • EFT effectively enhances relationship-specific attachment security in distressed couples.
  • Attachment improvements mediated by EFT contribute to greater relationship satisfaction.