We will talk about couple relationships, attachment, violence and

separation during a symposium organized by M onica Guzman at the

International Association for Relationship Research Conference 2016
TITLE OF SYMPOSIUM: THE ROLE OF ATTACHMENT IN COUPLE
RELATIONSHIP FUNCTIONING: ESTABLISHMENT, INTIMATE PARTNER
VIOLENCE, AND ADJUSTMENT TO DIVORCE AND SEPARATION
Overall summary: In the latest 25 years, Attachment Theory has become a very
useful framework for understanding the formation of romantic relationships, their
functioning, and the adjustment of partners to breakup and dissolution. Within
this theoretical framework, this symposium aims to present four studies
addressing the complex dynamics of different aspects of functioning of couple
relationships. More specifically, themes as mate selection, the impact of exposure
of early family violence, intimate partner violence, relationship satisfaction, as
well as forgiveness in the adjustment to divorce process will be addressed.

When: July 21st, 1:30 PM

Where: International Association for Relationship
Research Cinference 2016, Sheraton
Center Toronto Hotel, Canada.

NATACHA GODBOUT, Ph.D.

Psychologist and Professor, Department of Sexology, University of Quebec in Montreal.
Her research and clinical work centers around interpersonal trauma and psycho-relational outcomes in
adulthood.
Director of the Research and intervention unit on trauma and couple (TRACE) natachagodbout.com
Member of the:
CRIPCAS-Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse cripcas.ca
EVISSA-Sexual Violence and Health Research Team martinehebert.uqam.ca/evissa
GRIPA-Research and Intervention Team on Mindfulnes labunix.uqam.ca/gripa/wordpress

Natacha Godbout will be presenting the following oral communication:

FAMILY VIOLENCE, RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE AND SATISFACTION IN HIGH SCHOOL AND
COLLEGE INDIVIDUALS: ROLE OF ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT
Natacha Godbout, Marie-ve Daspe, Stphane Sabourin, Yvan Lussier, & Martine Hbert.
Violence in romantic relationships is highly prevalent in adolescence and early adulthood, and
related to a wide array of negative outcomes. Although the scientific literature increasingly
highlights potential risk factors for the perpetration of violence toward a romantic partner,
integrative models of these predictors remain scarce. Using an attachment framework, the current
study examines the associations between early exposure to violence, perpetration of relationship
violence, and relationship satisfaction. We hypothesized that exposure to family violence fosters
the development of attachment anxiety and avoidance, which in turn predict relationship violence
and low relationship satisfaction. At Time 1, a sample of 1252 (72.3% of women) adolescents and
emerging adults was recruited in high schools and colleges and completed measures of exposure
to family violence, attachment, perpetrated relationship violence and relationship adjustment.
Three years later (Time 2), 234 participants agreed to engage in a follow-up. Structural equation
modeling was used to test cross-sectional and longitudinal models. Findings suggest that
exposure to family violence predicts relationship violence both directly and through attachment
anxiety, whereas attachment avoidance and relationship violence are predictors of relationship
satisfaction. Longitudinal analyses show that changes in romantic attachment are associated with
changes in relationship violence and satisfaction. Results underline romantic attachment as a
significant target for the prevention and treatment of violence in youth's intimate relationships.

When: July 21st, 1:30 PM

Where: International Association for Relationship Research
Conference 2016, Sheraton Center Toronto Hotel, Canada.

Mnica Guzman, Ph.D.

Psychologist and Professor, Department of Psychology, Universidad Catlica del
Norte.
Her work focuses on attachment and relationship violence in heterosexual and
same-sex couples. She is also interested in individual and family therapy, as well
as human sexuality.

Mnica Guzman will be presenting the following oral communication

ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT TO DIVORCE AND
SEPARATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF FORGIVENESS IN A SAMPLE OF CHILEAN ADULTS
Mnica Guzmn, Diana Rivera, Lusmenia Garrido, & Paula Contreras .
Despite there is evidence that romantic attachment is linked to adjustment to divorce and
separation, the mechanisms explaining this association need further exploration. The current
study sought to provide preliminary results of an ongoing research examining the mediating role
of forgiveness toward the former partner in the association between romantic attachment and
adjustment to divorce and separation. Previous literature suggests theoretical and empirical links
separately. However, to our knowledge, no other study has investigated these variables in a more
complex model, examining both the direct and indirect relationships among these variables. The
sample included 193 chilean divorced or separated adults, who completed the Experiences in
Close Relationship, the Forgiveness in Divorce and Separation Questionnaire, and the Psychological
Adjustment to Separation Test. Preliminary results through structural equation modeling, showed
that both, anxiety over abandonment and avoidance of intimacy were significantly and inversely
associated to forgiveness towards the former partner. Forgiveness was also related to less
difficulties in psychological adjustment following divorce. Only anxiety over abandonment had a
direct effect on psychological adjustment, while the direct effect of avoidance of intimacy was not
significant. Moreover, forgiveness toward the former partner significantly mediated the
relationship between romantic attachment and psychological adjustment to divorce and
separation.

When: July 21st, 1:30 PM

Where: International Association for Relationship Research
Conference 2016, Sheraton Center Toronto Hotel, Canada.

Marie-France Lafontaine, Ph.D.

Psychologist and Professor, Department of Psycholoogy, University of Ottawa.
Her research interests focuses on couple relationships (heterosexual and same-sex), romantic
attachment, intimate partner violence, self-injury, telepsychotherapy, and family health.
Diretctor of the Couple Reserahc Laboratory : http://socialsciences.uottawa.ca/couple-research/
Member-Collaborator of CRIPCAS-Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Intimate Relationship
Problems and Sexual Abuse cripcas.ca

Marie-France Lafontaine will be presenting the following oral communication

ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL AGGRESSION: A DYADIC INVARIANCE ACTOR-PARTNER
INTERDEPENDENCE MODEL LONGITUDINAL APPROACH
Marie-France Lafontaine, Alexandre Gareau, Christopher Edmondstone, & Yvan Lussier.
This study sought to establish the association between romantic attachment and psychological
aggression in longitudinally studied couples. Between-person (actor) and within-person (partner)
effects were examined using the Actor-Partner Independence Model (APIM) for the analysis
framework. A community sample completed the Experiences in Close Relationships and the
Revised Conflict Tactics Scales on two occasions over the course of a year. The final sample
consisted of 316 heterosexual married and cohabiting couples randomly selected from couples
living together. This sample was derived through a software program that generated random
telephone numbers. A total of 500 couples agreed to take part in the study and were sent
questionnaires through the mail. Of this sample, 316 couples had completed the first part of the
study (Time 1); thus, the initial response rate was 63.2%. From this sample, 152 couples agreed to
complete our assessment battery on a second occasion (Time 2), following a twelve-month
interval (48.1% of time 1). Result from structural equation modeling using latent change scores
supported a model whereby only the women anxiety over abandonment was significantly
predicting change in psychological aggression, whether for themselves or for their male partner.
When predicting perceptions of perpetration and victimization a differential pattern was found for
the female partner. Overall, the findings are congruent with attachment theory and implications
for future research are discussed.

When: July 21st, 1:30 PM

Where: International Association for Relationship Research
Conference 2016, Sheraton Center Toronto Hotel, Canada.

Ana Maria Fernandez, Ph.D.

Psychologist and Professor, Department of Psychology, Universidad de Santiago. Chile.
Dr Fernandez obtained her Ph. D in Psychology at the University of Chile, her MSc in
Experimental Psychology at the University of California State, and her BA in Psychology at
the University of Texas.
Her research mainly work focuses on attachment, relationships, and gender.

Ana Maria Fernandez will be presenting the following oral communication

HUMAN MATING AND ATTACHMENT
Ana Maria Fernandez, Diana Rivera, Jose Antonio Muoz-Reyes, Paula Pavez, & Michele Dufey.
Human beings have a strong need to establish and maintain relationships with significant others,
satisfying a basic affiliation need. Couple relationships motivated a great amount of studies from
Attachment Theory, Social Exchange, and more recently, Evolutionary Psychology. All of these lines
aim at understanding mate choice, as well as the maintenance of couple relationships throughout
the life cycle. We hypothesize that mate selection is an initial engine that motivates social
exchange within a romantic dyad, which then leads to different kinds of attachment and the
formation of a stable pair-bond. We analyze mate choice considering mate value within the dyad
and the reciprocal value partner's accrue from each other, considering attachment styles, as well
as relationship closeness, dependence and anxiety in two samples of Chilean young couples (65
dating partners) as well as a more stable cohabiting sample (ongoing data collection of 100
couples). We hypothesize that variables relevant in the mating literature (individuals
attractiveness/mate value), will be positively associated with positive mate retention strategies,
and that jealousy evoking will be directly associated to secure as well as anxious attachment,
relational closeness and dependence. In the second sample, we aim to confirm these predictions,
and the correlation of these variables to the prevalence of aggressive and controlling behavior
inversely. We discuss our results in light of recent findings that valuable partners bring into the
relationship positive partner-retention strategies, and are less likely to develop controllingaggressive behaviors.

When: July 21st, 1:30 PM

Where: International Association for Relationship Research
Conference 2016, Sheraton Center Toronto Hotel, Canada.