Touch me just enough: The intersection of adult attachment, intimate touch, and marital satisfaction

• Published in: Journal of social and personal relationships 2020-06, Vol.37 (6), p.1945-1967
• Main Authors: Wagner, Samantha A., Mattson, Richard E., Davila, Joanne, Johnson, Matthew D., Cameron, Nicole M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Attachment; Attachment style; Avoidance behavior; Husbands; Individual differences; Intimacy; Love; Marital satisfaction; Marriage; Married couples; Touch; Wives
• ISSN: 0265-4075; 1460-3608
• DOI: 10.1177/0265407520910791

Nonsexual physical affection plays an important role in marital functioning, but not all individuals are satisfied with the intimate touch they receive from their partner. Differences in adult attachment tendencies may be one way to understand the individual differences in touch satisfaction. Using a sample of 180 different-sex married couples, we explored how attachment associates with touch satisfaction in marriage in a cross-sectional investigation. Consistent with predictions, we found that husbands with greater attachment anxiety were less satisfied with touch, except when engagement in routine affection was relatively high, but especially when low. Lower routine affection diminished touch satisfaction regardless of attachment style, but greater avoidance appeared to buffer this effect for wives. However, wives with greater avoidance had husbands who reported lower touch satisfaction. We also explored the interplay of touch satisfaction and marital quality, finding that they associated positively, even when routine affection is statistically controlled. Lastly, our exploratory analyses suggest that touch satisfaction may serve as a mediating link between anxiety and marital quality. Overall, our findings support that attachment insecurities associate with engagement in and satisfaction with touch and that these processes are relevant to the overall marital quality.