Don't go to bed angry: Attachment, conflict, and affective and physiological reactivity

Abstract

In 39 individuals in cohabiting relationships, the associations between naturally occurring couple conflict (assessed with end‐of‐day diaries) and next‐morning ratings of negative affect, sleep disruptions, and awakening cortisol response were tested. Low‐avoidant individuals showed heightened negative affect the morning after heightened quarreling. Yet high‐avoidant individuals reported lower negative affect the morning after heightened quarreling. Greater quarreling was associated with more subsequent sleep disruptions overall, but this association was significantly stronger among individuals with high attachment anxiety and significantly weaker among individuals with high attachment avoidance. Finally, quarreling was associated with a significantly dampened cortisol awakening response in high‐anxious women. The results have implications for understanding the distinct biopsychological pathways through which routine relationship experiences influence health‐related physical and mental functioning.

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