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Changes in Relationship‐Specific Attachment in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy
Author(s) -
Burgess Moser Melissa,
Johnson Susan M.,
Dalgleish Tracy L.,
Lafontaine MarieFrance,
Wiebe Stephanie A.,
Tasca Giorgio A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/jmft.12139
Subject(s) - psychology , attachment theory , anxiety , distress , multilevel model , session (web analytics) , clinical psychology , psychotherapist , machine learning , psychiatry , world wide web , computer science
Emotionally focused couple therapy ( EFT ; J ohnson, The practice of emotionally focused couple therapy (1st/2nd edition). B runner‐ R outledge, N ew Y ork, 2004) is an effective treatment of relationship distress ( J ohnson et al., Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 1999; 6, 67). However, less is known about EFT 's impact on couples' relationship‐specific attachment bond. Using hierarchical linear modeling with a sample of 32 couples, we examined session‐by‐session changes in couples' relationship‐specific attachment anxiety and avoidance and pre‐ to posttherapy changes in their relationship‐specific attachment behaviors. Couples significantly decreased in relationship‐specific attachment avoidance, and those who completed a blamer softening significantly decreased in relationship‐specific attachment anxiety. Couples' attachment behavior significantly increased toward security. Finally, session‐by‐session decreases in relationship‐specific attachment anxiety and avoidance were significant associated with increases in relationship satisfaction across sessions. These results provide empirical support for the attachment‐based assumptions of EFT . Video abstract accessible by clicking here