Subclinical Psychopathic Traits and Romantic Attachment in Treatment‐Seeking Couples

Subclinical psychopathic personality traits have been associated with multiple indicators of couple distress and romantic attachment insecurities but essentially in community samples. This study examined dyadic associations between primary and secondary psychopathy and attachment anxiety and avoidan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marital and family therapy 2020-01, Vol.46 (1), p.165-178
Main Authors: Mayer, Josée, Savard, Claudia, Brassard, Audrey, Lussier, Yvan, Sabourin, Stéphane
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Antisocial personality disorder
Anxiety
Attachment
Avoidance behavior
Cohabitation
Community Relations
Couples
Couples therapy
Domestic violence
Emotions
Empathy
Family Violence
Health services utilization
Help seeking behavior
Interdependence
Intimacy
Malayo Polynesian Languages
Personality
Personality traits
Psychological distress
Psychopathology
Sex offenders
Variables
Young Children
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Summary:Subclinical psychopathic personality traits have been associated with multiple indicators of couple distress and romantic attachment insecurities but essentially in community samples. This study examined dyadic associations between primary and secondary psychopathy and attachment anxiety and avoidance, assessed with self‐reported measures, in 183 French‐Canadian cohabiting partners seeking couple therapy. Two Actor‐Partner Interdependence Models were tested: Model 1 considered psychopathic traits as independent variables and Model 2 treated attachment insecurities as independent variables. Analyses revealed that in both partners, secondary psychopathy was associated with attachment anxiety and avoidance (Models 1 and 2), while primary psychopathy was not only associated with attachment anxiety (Model 2; actor associations). Partner effects between primary and secondary psychopathy in men and women's attachment anxiety were also found in both models. These findings complement those reported in community samples and have clinical implications for treatment‐seeking couples.
ISSN:0194-472X
1752-0606
DOI:10.1111/jmft.12387