Do Attachment Styles and Co-rumination Predict Marital and Emotional Distress?

Abstract

Depression is a debilitating disorder, associated with a wide range of symptomatology and impairments in functioning, including in relationships. Marriage is a primary source of support for most adults and thus any stress within this relationship can exacerbate risk for depression. Although attachment styles and communication have been implicated as important risk factors for depression and marital distress, limited research to date has explored interactions. The current study investigated whether attachment styles and the communication style of co-rumination predicted emotional and relationship distress. Married individuals (N = 198) were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and completed questionnaires about attachment style, co-rumination, depression, anxiety, and relationship adjustment with their spouse. The hypothesized pathways between these variables were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that specific attachment styles, but not co-rumination, significantly predicted emotional distress (i.e., depression and anxiety) and marital distress; however, not in the hypothesized direction. There was no evidence of gender moderation. As part of an exploratory analysis, content of co-rumination was also analyzed. Theoretical and clinical implications of these results are discussed as well as directions for future research.