Environmental threat influences psychological distress and marital satisfaction among avoidantly attached individuals

This research examined the impact of stressful environments on marital relationships. In all, 133 Israeli couples exposed to different levels of terror threat and political uncertainty completed measures of attachment orientation, psychological distress, and marital satisfaction. Results indicated that in low-threat areas, spouses high on attachment avoidance did not express distress despite their marital dissatisfaction. In contrast, in high-threat areas, spouses high on attachment avoidance exhibited greater psychological distress, and psychological distress mediated the relation between attachment avoidance and marital dissatisfaction. Psychological distress only partially mediated the relation between attachment anxiety and marital dissatisfaction in the entire sample. The discussion stresses the importance of considering attachment dimensions when studying the effects of external stressors on marital relations.