Psychological Distress, Power, Relationship Quality, and Attachment in Romantic Relationships
Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Producer
Director
Performer
Choreographer
Costume Designer
Music
Videographer
Lighting Designer
Set Designer
Crew Member
Funder
Rehearsal Director
Concert Coordinator
Advisor
Moderator
Panelist
Alternative Title
Department
Haverford College. Department of Psychology
Type
Thesis
Original Format
Running Time
File Format
Place of Publication
Date Span
Copyright Date
Award
Language
eng
Note
Table of Contents
Terms of Use
Rights Holder
Access Restrictions
Tri-College users only
Terms of Use
Tripod URL
Identifier
Abstract
Psychological distress, the opposite of well-being, is an important variable to examine due to its significance in the enhancement of clinical treatments, mental health, and the experience of daily life. The present study examines the associations between attachment, relationship quality, power, and psychological distress in romantic relationships. Power is evaluated in multiple ways; participants reported overarching levels of power, as well as conflict resolution techniques and levels of decision-making power. A questionnaire was posted on Amazon Mechanical Turk and 697 participants completed it for a dollar. Utilizing regression and testing for mediation, lower power and negative conflict resolution techniques were associated with heightened psychological distress and lowered relationship quality. Additionally, higher levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with higher psychological distress and relationship satisfaction. Lastly, negative conflict resolution styles were found to be partial mediators between attachment and psychological distress. Considering this information, future research should focus on examining power in more relationship-specific domains, as well as using clinical populations in order to expand upon treatments for individuals and couples.