ORIGINAL ARTICLE
“I can’ escape!”: A oidan ly a ached indi iduals’con lic esolu ion
and ela ionship sa is ac ion be o e and du ing he COVID-19
lockdown
Ione B e aña
1
| I zia Alonso-A biol
1
| K is el Ki el
1
| Sil ia Ubillos-Landa
2
1
Depa men o Clinical and Heal h Psychology &
Resea ch Me hods, Uni e si y o he Basque
Coun y UPV/EHU, Donos ia, Spain
2
Depa men o Heal h Science, Uni e si y o
Bu gos, Bu gos, Spain
Co espondence
Ione B e aña, Facul y o Psychology, Uni e si y o
he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU, A . Tolosa, 70,
20018 San Sebas ian, Spain.
Email: ione.b e [email protected]
Funding in o ma ion
p e-doc o al g an om he Educa ion Depa men
o he Basque Go e nmen , G an /Awa d Numbe :
PRE_2016_1_0138; g an awa ded by he Regional
Go e nmen o Cas illa y Leon (Spain) o he Social
Inclusion and Quali y o Li e esea ch g oup,
G an /Awa d Numbe : 2019/00184/001; g an by
he Basque Go e nmen Resea ch G oups (‘Cul u e,
Cogni ion, and Emo ion’Consolida ed G oup),
G an /Awa d Numbe : IT-1598-22; Two g an s by
he Spanish Minis y o Science and Inno a ion,
G an /Awa d Numbe s: PID2020-115738GB-I0,
PID2020-116658GB-I00
Abs ac
Inc eased ime spen oge he and he lockdown esul ing om he COVID-19 pandemic
may ha e c ea ed new scena ios o ma i al con lic . We analyzed how home con inemen
a ec s a oidan ly a ached indi iduals’: (a) esolu ion s a egies o cope wi h couple con-
lic , (b) pe cep ion o pa ne ’s esolu ion s a egies, and (c) o e all ela ionship sa is ac-
ion. The sample comp ised 549 indi iduals, di ided in o wo subsamples: (a) he
con ined g oup, indi iduals con ined wi h hei pa ne s (n=275); and (b) he compa i-
son g oup, coupled indi iduals om a da ase collec ed be o e he pandemic (n=274).
Resul s indica e ha he p oposed model wo ks in di e en con ex s (non-con inemen
and con inemen si ua ions), bu he e a e some signi ican di e ences in he magni ude
o some o he ela ionships be ween he a iables, being s onge in he con inemen
g oup han in he compa ison g oup. In he con ined g oup, in indi iduals wi h a oidan
a achmen , wi hd awal was associa ed wi h lowe ela ionship sa is ac ion and a highe
demand pa ne pe cei ed o a highe ex en han in he compa ison g oup. This migh
explain he lowe sa is ac ion wi h he ela ionship o he con ined g oup. The di e en
con lic esolu ion s a egies o he couple media ed be ween a oidan a achmen and
ela ionship sa is ac ion in bo h g oups (con ined and compa ison). I is concluded ha
indi iduals’a achmen o ien a ion is a key ac o in how indi iduals expe ienced hei
close ela ionships du ing he con inemen .
KEYWORDS
a oidan a achmen , con lic esolu ion, lockdown, ela ionship sa is ac ion
INTRODUCTION
The whole wo ld su e ed e ible consequences and indi idual
con inemen s du ing he SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pan-
demic. Se e al au ho s ha e al eady w i en abou he psycho-
logical impac o con inemen s, including how he s ess-
inducing con ex led o inc ease o some symp oms (i.e., pos -
auma ic s ess, anxie y, dep ession, and insomnia; e.g.,
B ooks e al., 2020; Taylo , 2019). Du ing he COVID-19
pandemic, hose symp oms we e expe ienced mo e o en in
indi iduals a ec ed by con inemen as compa ed o he gene al
popula ion in no mal ci cums ances (see Céna e al., 2020,
me a-analysis).
Ex eme a (2020) sugges ed ha in s ess ul si ua ions,
such as con inemen , i is e y likely ha ela ional well-being
and ela ionship sa is ac ion could be a ec ed by he equency
and in ensi y o con lic , and by in imacy and closeness in ela-
ionships. The in e ac ion in close spaces may lead o con lic s
wi hin he couple, especially du ing pe iods o inc eased s ess,
unce ain y, and anxie y (Lima e al., 2020), as in he case o
he COVID-19 pandemic (Ishikawa, 2020). To ein o ce his
poin , Balza ini e al. (2023) obse ed highe le els o con lic
o cohabi ing couples om he beginning o he pandemic.
COVID-19 lockdown and a achmen sys em
In he con inemen si ua ion due o he pandemic, he e is a
clea need o s udy he e ec o beha io s displayed o sol e
ela ionship con lic s, conside ing a achmen o ien a ions.
Recei ed: 7 Ma ch 2022 Accep ed: 28 Feb ua y 2023
DOI: 10.1002/pchj.646
This is an open access a icle unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License, which pe mi s use, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k
is p ope ly ci ed.
© 2023 The Au ho s. PsyCh Jou nal published by Ins i u e o Psychology, Chinese Academy o Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Aus alia, L d.
430 PsyCh Jou nal. 2023;12:430–442.
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Acco ding o he a achmen heo y, indi iduals a e equipped
wi h inna e beha io al epe oi es associa ed wi h he a ach-
men sys em (i.e., secu e base, sa e ha en) ha a e ac i a ed.
Thus, when secu i y h ea s a e expe ienced, he a achmen
igu e p o ides a secu e base om which he indi idual may
explo e he wo ld, as well as a com o ing sa e ha en
(Bowlby, 1982). The a achmen sys em se es he pu pose o
keeping p oximi y be ween he p e e ed ca egi ing igu e and
he child du ing in ancy o allow o emo ional needs o be
me . The quali y o he in e ac ion de e mines o wha ex en
a achmen secu i y may be acqui ed based on he pe cei ed
own lo abili y and on he a achmen igu e’s emo ional a ail-
abili y (Bowlby, 1982). Repea ed in e ac ions du ing in ancy
(and a la e de elopmen s ages) a e he base o he o ma ion
o in e nal schemes ha guide he in e p e a ion o expe ience
o a ec i e na u e. In adul hood, di e en deg ees o (in)secu-
i y owa d he a achmen igu e a e explained in o wo
a achmen o ien a ions ha indi iduals display owa d hei
oman ic pa ne s: a oidance (o in imacy) and anxie y (abou
he ela ionships; o a e iew, see Mikulince & Sha e , 2016).
The a oidance dimension is desc ibed as indi iduals’need o
independence and emo ional dis ance om hei pa ne ; he
anxie y dimension may be de ined as indi iduals’excessi e p e-
occupa ion and ea o being abandoned by hei pa ne
(Fou nie e al., 2011).
In ac , an a achmen sys em (and he need o sa e y
om he a achmen igu e; i.e., he oman ic pa ne in
adul hood) would be ac i a ed due o he excep ional si ua-
ion o unce ain y a ising om COVID-19 (Vowels & Ca -
nelley, 2021). Ye , impo an di e ences due o a achmen
o ien a ions would apply. Indi iduals wi h an a oidance
a achmen o ien a ion end o a oid in imacy and con lic
wi h hei pa ne s (e.g., B e aña e al., 2020). In condi ions
o es ic ions de i ed om con inemen (i.e., he impossibil-
i y o escape om he si ua ion and o lee physically), a oi-
dan ly a ached indi iduals migh ha e su e ed a signi ican
decline in hei close ela ionships. Fu he mo e, in a se ies
o me a-analyses (Candel & Tu liuc, 2019; Hadden
e al., 2014;Li&Chan,2012), a oidance has been shown
o be he a achmen o ien a ion mos s ongly associa ed
wi h lowe ela ionship sa is ac ion (o e en he only one in
some s udies: e.g., B assa d e al., 2009;Mole oe al.,2016;
Mole o e al., 2011).
Thus, he p esen esea ch deepens he s udy o a oidance
o ien a ion. Analyzing hese ela ional dynamics in a oidan ly
a ached indi iduals is pa amoun . To his end, a model is p o-
posed ha join ly in eg a es di e en a iables analyzed by he
scien i ic li e a u e. S udying he same dynamics (i.e., models
wi h he same a iables) in compa able samples ac oss di e en
con ex ual s ess le els (i.e., du ing he con inemen s. be o e
he pandemic’s ou b eak) would help in elucida ing he impac
o con inemen on ela ionship sa is ac ion. Fo he analysis o
such s ess-inducing e ec s, he examina ion may in ol e a si e
whe e con inemen es ic ions we e mo e s ingen han in
o he coun ies, o ins ance, whe e he lockdown in ol ed a
o al ban on going ou side wi hou he possibili y o exe cising
(i.e., Spain).
A oidan a achmen , con lic , and ela ionship
sa is ac ion in s ess ul si ua ions
A achmen insecu i y is a key ac o associa ed wi h maladap-
i e ela ional dynamics in s ess ul si ua ions (Mikulince &
Sha e , 2016; Simpson & Rholes, 2017). As men ioned abo e,
a oidance a achmen in pa icula exe s a no ewo hy nega-
i e e ec on ela ionship sa is ac ion (e.g., Candel & Tu -
liuc, 2019; Hadden e al., 2014). Rela ionship sa is ac ion is
de ined as an indi idual’s o e all assessmen o hei oman ic
ela ionship (e.g., Kamp Dush e al., 2008); when indi iduals
pe cei e ha hei pa ne s sa is y hei needs, hey a e gene -
ally sa is ied wi h hei ela ionships (Fincham &
Rogge, 2010).
The a achmen dia hesis-s ess p ocess model (Simpson &
Rholes, 2012) p o ides he heo e ical unde pinning o unde -
s and he impac o COVID-19 con inemen on ela ionship
dynamics. Based on his heo y, s ess could play a majo ole
in he associa ion be ween a achmen and ela ionship sa is ac-
ion; di e en s esso s o s ess condi ions could impac
di ec ly in he a achmen dimension. Unde s ess ul condi-
ions, indi iduals pe cei e hei pa ne s and hei ela ionship
mo e nega i ely. In he case o a oidan ly a ached indi id-
uals—who disengage emo ionally, cogni i ely and beha io ally
in s ess ul condi ions—i is easonable o an icipa e ha hey
will be mo e unsa is ied wi h hei ela ionship.
In e ac i e pa e n o con lic esolu ion is conside ed an
impo an elemen in he associa ion be ween a oidan a ach-
men dimensions and ela ionship sa is ac ion. The cu en
s udy analyzes wi hd awal and demand s a egies. Wi hd awal
is one maladap i e esolu ion s a egy in which being silen ,
lea ing he oom, and o he dis ancing beha io s a e used
when dealing wi h con lic (Eld idge & Ch is ensen, 2002);
and demand is cha ac e ized by c i icizing, nagging, and
demanding beha io owa d he pa ne du ing con lic
(Eld idge e al., 2007). Al hough he pa e n o s a egies mos
commonly analyzed in he li e a u e has been he ela ionship
be ween (an ini ia ing) own (con lic ) demand and ( he subse-
quen ) wi hd awal ( om con lic ; Eld idge & Ch is ensen,
2002), he immu abili y o his di ec ionali y has also been
challenged by ecen wo ks. In ac , some au ho s ha e adop ed
a new pe spec i e whe e he ocus is placed on analyzing he
in e se ela ionship be ween he s a egies, wi h he wi hd awal
om he con lic being he ac i a ing mechanism o he pa -
ne ’s demand s a egy (Bonache e al., 2017,2019). The
explana o y mechanism unde lying he ini ia ion o his con-
lic wi hd awal could de i e om a oidan ly a ached indi id-
uals’own endency o use con lic a oiding beha io s in close
ela ional con ex s.
Con lic wi hd awal s a egy and ela ionship
sa is ac ion
Insecu ely a ached people end o expe ience ema kable di i-
cul ies in deploying sa is ac o y coping app oaches and con lic
esolu ion s a egies (e.g., Mikulince & Sha e , 2016);
PsyCh JOURNAL 431
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al hough o he maladap i e con lic esolu ion s a egies ha e
been obse ed (Collins e al., 2006; Fowle & Dillow, 2011;
Sie au & He ze g, 2012), a oidance a achmen o ien a ion
has been mainly associa ed wi h con lic wi hd awal (e.g.,
Mikulince & Sha e , 2016). Two ecen s udies (Bonache
e al., 2019; B e aña e al., 2020) ha e p o ided e idence on
he associa ion be ween he a oidance a achmen dimension
and own con lic wi hd awal s a egy. Mo eo e , B e aña e al.
(2020) ound ha mo e a oidan ly a ached indi iduals end
o use a wi hd awal con lic esolu ion s a egy owa d he pa -
ne o a la ge ex en , which in u n unc ioned as a media ing
a iable, being associa ed wi h a decline in hei ela ionship
sa is ac ion.
Coping wi h s ess ul condi ions equi es e o and con ol
om indi iduals in a con ex whe e added s esso s om he
pandemic along wi h o he p eexis ing con ex ual ulne abil-
i ies a e likely o u he deg ade hese ela ionship p ocesses
(Pie omonaco & O e all, 2021). The disconnec ion and dis-
ancing om he p oblem ha a oidan ly a ached indi iduals
cons an ly seek (Mikulince & Sha e , 2016) would be mo e
di icul du ing con inemen ; hey ha e o deploy s a egies o
wi hd awal and ligh om he con lic wi hou being able o
lea e home due o legal p ohibi ion. Using wi hd awal in a si -
ua ion o ex e nal s ess (i.e., home con inemen ) would en ail
highe e o and b ing mo e discom o han in a si ua ion o
only in e nal s ess (i.e., couple con lic ).
Wi hd awal/demand pa e n and ela ionship
sa is ac ion
Acco ding o a longi udinal s udy ca ied ou by Ne and Ka -
ney (2007), ela ionship sa is ac ion declines in s ess ul si ua-
ions, which can be explained by pa ne s’con lic esolu ion
skills. S ess ul si ua ions accompanied by a highe use o nega-
i e con lic esolu ion s a egies esul in lowe le els o ela-
ionship sa is ac ion ac oss ime (Johnson, 2005). The highe
emo ionali y (i.e., beha io s pe mea ed by emo ion) in a cou-
ple’s con lic leads o a en ional biases and spli ing (Sil-
la s, 1998). In indi iduals wi h high sco es in he a oidance
dimension o a achmen , own wi hd awal con lic (mo e com-
monly deployed by hem) has been associa ed wi h he pe cep-
ion ha hei pa ne s use demand o a highe ex en (B e aña
e al., 2020). Sch od e al.’s(2014) me a-analysis showed ha
nega i e con lic esolu ion pa e ns (i.e., wi hd awal and
demand) we e mo e common in hose couples wi h highe
le els o s ess. In a si ua ion in which unning away is simply
no possible, he mo e isible wi hd awal beha io s (e.g., being
silen , locking onesel in a oom) could gene a e e en mo e
us a ion in he pa ne , who would demand o alk abou
he p oblem o migh e en ep oach he pa ne o hei pas-
si i y (Feeney & Ka an zas, 2017; Miga e al., 2010). This
con lic pa e n—whe e one pe son wi hd aws om he con-
lic while pe cei ing ha hei pa ne uses demand—has been
associa ed wi h lowe le els o ela ionship sa is ac ion (B e aña
e al., 2020).
The posi i e p oblem-sol ing s a egy in
a oidan ly a ached indi iduals
As we men ioned p e iously, a oidan ly a ached indi iduals
end o pe cei e o he s’beha io s mo e nega i ely (e.g., Miku-
lince & Sha e , 2016). Vowels and Ca nelley (2021) obse ed
ha indi iduals wi h a highe le el o a achmen a oidance
we e signi ican ly less likely o pe cei e hei pa ne as p o id-
ing suppo . Acco ding o he a achmen dia hesis-s ess p o-
cess model (Simpson & Rholes, 2012), he associa ion be ween
a oidan a achmen and pa ne suppo would be explained
because unde s ess ul condi ions hese indi iduals a e no
ully awa e hey a e upse , and he e o e, hey do no seek hei
pa ne ’s suppo . They ha e o educe hei dis ess by being
sel -su icien , and hus, es o ing independence, au onomy,
and pe sonal con ol. The way o ge sel -su iciency is h ough
he use o wi hd awal and dis ancing beha io s: hese s a egies
a e deployed by a oidan indi iduals so ha hei pa ne s a e
less suppo i e, and hey pe cei e hem as mo e dis an and
closed. Al hough his o m o g ea e dis ance and less suppo
is wha an indi idual wi h a oidan a achmen would p e e
om hei pa ne s, i is also wha hey may in e p e as ejec-
ion by hei pa ne s. A oidan indi iduals end o pe cei e
hei pa ne s’beha io less bene olen ly, leading hem also o
unde es ima e he suppo p o ided by hei pa ne s. All o
his, in u n, is associa ed wi h a dec ease in an indi idual’s
own well-being (Simpson & Rholes, 2012), which would e e
o a dec ease in ela ionship sa is ac ion wi hin he close
ela ionship.
Al hough he pe cep ion o social suppo is amed mo e
in he a ec i e domain, he pe cep ion o suppo would also
be closely ela ed o posi i e con lic esolu ion s a egies
(Kau , 2017), in which he indi idual demons a es a ce ain
commi men o asse i e con lic esolu ion (Law ence &
B adbu y, 2007). The e o e, in he case o con lic esolu ion
s a egies, posi i e p oblem-sol ing s a egy— he abili y o
cope wi h p oblems by displaying adap i e beha io s—would
be a p oxy o pa ne suppo . B e aña e al. (2020) obse ed
ha he e was a nega i e associa ion be ween a oidan a ach-
men and pe cei ed pa ne ’s posi i e p oblem-sol ing s a -
egy. A oidan ly a ached indi iduals end o pe cei e ha
hei pa ne s use posi i e p oblem-sol ing o a lesse ex en ;
his pe cep ion would be media ing in he associa ion be ween
a oidan a achmen dimension and ela ionship sa is ac ion.
The e o e, aking in o accoun he COVID-19 pandemic, and
mo e speci ically, con inemen , we assume ha he men al
models unde lying he a achmen dimensions and all he
a achmen beha io s desc ibed abo e will ha e been exace -
ba ed, and he ela ionship be ween hese a iables will be
mo e e iden .
In sum, aking in o accoun he p e ious hypo hesis, we
p opose a model o ela ionship sa is ac ion in a oidan ly
a ached indi iduals o es he di e ences in wo condi ions
( he con inemen g oup and he compa ison g oup). As we can
see in he pa h model (Figu e 1), we expec ha he same
model will i o bo h samples bu di e in be a sizes.
432 AVOIDANCE, COUPLE RELATIONSHIP, AND LOCKDOWN
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Hypo heses
Hypo hesis 1. We expec ha in he con ined g oup, a oi-
dan a achmen will be associa ed mo e nega i ely
wi h ela ionship sa is ac ion han in he compa i-
son g oup.
Hypo hesis 2. We expec ha he nega i e asso-
cia ion be ween wi hd awal con lic s a egy and
ela ionship sa is ac ion would be highe du ing
con inemen han be o e.
Hypo hesis 3. Own wi hd awal con lic s a egy
will media e he associa ion be ween a oidan
a achmen dimension and ela ionship sa is ac ion
o a highe ex en in he con inemen condi ion
han in a non-con inemen si ua ion.
Hypo hesis 4. The e o e, we p opose ha indi-
iduals who end o wi hd aw om con lic will
pe cei e ha hei pa ne s demand he con lic o
a highe ex en du ing con inemen as compa ed o
coun e pa s in a si ua ion p io o con inemen .
Hypo hesis 5. Since he wi hd aw/demand pa -
e n will be mo e salien in a con inemen si ua-
ion, he associa ion be ween own wi hd awal and
ela ionship sa is ac ion will be media ed by pe -
cei ed pa ne ’s demand o a highe ex en in con-
inemen han in non-con inemen .
Hypo hesis 6. Indi iduals wi h highe sco es in
a oidan a achmen will pe cei e ha hei pa -
ne ’s use o posi i e p oblem-sol ing s a egy will
be o a lesse ex en du ing con inemen as com-
pa ed o indi iduals in he compa ison g oup.
Hypo hesis 7. Pe cep ion ha pa ne uses posi-
i e p oblem-sol ing esolu ion s a egy o a lesse
ex en will media e he associa ion be ween a oi-
dan a achmen dimension and lowe ela ionship
sa is ac ion o a highe ex en in a con inemen
condi ion han in a non-con inemen si ua ion.
Hypo hesis 8. Indi iduals wi h high sco es in
a oidan a achmen and ha sco ed high in wi h-
d awal will pe cei e highe demanding beha io s
and lowe posi i e p oblem-sol ing om hei
pa ne s, which in u n will p edic lowe sco es in
ela ionship sa is ac ion.
S udy si e
The p esen s udy akes place in Spain. As o Ma ch 15, 2020,
Spain was he coun y wi h he second highes numbe o con-
i med cases o co ona i us du ing he i s wa e o he pan-
demic. The s a e o eme gency was dec eed in Spain and a e y
es ic i e con inemen was imposed as compa ed o o he coun-
ies. The en i e popula ion o 47 million was equi ed o s ay in
hei homes, who mos ly (66.2%) li e in apa men s o smalle
size han in he o he Eu opean coun ies (Eu os a , 2021).
Going ou o he s ee s was only allowed o basic pu chases in
supe ma ke s, pha macies, going o essen ial wo kplaces, and he
mos u gen medical consul a ions. Going ou o a walk o
doing physical exe cise was no pe mi ed. The police sanc ioned
anyone who le hei home wi hou jus i ica ion, and sanc ions
o up o 10,000 Eu os could be imposed. A he ime o da a col-
lec ion o his s udy (by Ap il 11, 2020), Spain had 161,852
posi i e cases and 16,353 dea hs, e lec ing he se iousness o he
si ua ion he coun y was acing. The ha shness o he con ine-
men jus i ies examining he hypo hesis posed in he cu en
s udy. As can be seen in Figu e 2, we wan ed o eplica e a p e i-
ous model in his s udy wi h a con ined and a compa ison g oup.
METHODS
Pa icipan s
The comple e sample was composed o 549 adul Spanish indi-
iduals in an exclusi e ela ionship (o a leas 6 mon hs).
Own
Wi hd awal
Pe cei ed
Pa ne Demand
Pe cei ed
Pa ne Posi i e
Rela ionship
Sa is ac ion
A oidance
A achmen
FIGURE 1 Pa h model o ela ionship sa is ac ion and con lic esolu ion s a egies in a oidan ly a ached indi iduals.
PsyCh JOURNAL 433
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In o med consen was ob ained om all indi idual pa icipan s
included in he s udy. We pe o med a s a is ical powe analy-
sis wi h G*Powe 3.1. (Faul e al., 2009) o sample size es i-
ma ion. Fo his analysis, we elied on da a om he me a-
analysis o Candel and Tu liuc (2019) on dimensions o
a achmen and ela ionship sa is ac ion on he one hand, and
on Woodin’s(
2011) dealing wi h con lic esolu ion s a egies
and couple sa is ac ion on he o he hand. In bo h s udies, a
medium e ec size was ob ained. Fo he cu en s udy, wi h
an alpha =.05 and a powe o =.95, o bo h es ima ions,
he p ojec ed sample size would be N=158. Conside ing ha
a mul ig oup model was p oposed, in each g oup he e should
be 158 indi iduals (i.e., a o al o 316 indi iduals).
The sample o he s udy (N=549) was di ided in o wo
subsamples wi h simila cha ac e is ics, excep o he educa-
ion le el and pe cen age o women, al hough he e ec size o
di e ences was mode a e and low, espec i ely (see Table 1).
The subsample whose da a we e collec ed du ing con inemen
was made o 275 indi iduals (74.1% women) con ined wi h
hei pa ne s in he same household. To es he hypo hesis, a
sample o 274 Spanish indi iduals in ol ed in an exclusi e ela-
ionship who had also comple ed he same assessmen ins u-
men s be o e he pandemic (p e-COVID-19 compa ison
g oup, 58% women) was used ( o a mo e comple e desc ip-
ion o his second subsample, see B e aña e al., 2020).
The sociodemog aphic cha ac e is ics o bo h subsamples
can be seen in Table 1. Some speci ic da a o he con ined
g oup we e as ollows: 15.9% o he sample claimed o ha e
es ed posi i e o o be expe iencing some symp om ela ed o
he i us
1
and 20.7% o he sample s a ed ha a amily mem-
be had es ed posi i e. The mean leng h o he ela ionship
was 11.44 yea s (SD =9.90 yea s) and o couples who we e
li ing oge he , he mean leng h was 8.71 yea s
(SD =9.68 yea s). As o wo king s a us du ing he con ine-
men , 48.2% we e wo king a home ( elewo k), 13.8% wen
ou o wo k (ou side he home), 17.1% we e dismissed due o
company closu e since he beginning o he heal h c isis, and
14.5% did no wo k o a ious easons (unemploymen , sick
lea e, e c.). The emaining 6.4% o he sample did no epo
any in o ma ion on his ques ion.
2
Ins umen s
Expe iences in Close Rela ionships Scale
Al hough he Expe iences in Close Rela ionships Scale (B en-
nan e al., 1998; Spanish adap a ion by Alonso-A biol
e al., 2007) measu es he wo dimensions o insecu e a ach-
men (anxie y [abou abandonmen ] and a oidance [o
TABLE 1 Desc ip i e and Mean Di e ences Be ween Con ined and Compa ison G oups.
Va iables Con ined g oup (n=275) M(SD) Compa ison g oup (n=274) M(SD) pCohen’sd
Gende (women) 74.1% 58% X
2
=16.41 <.001 V=.17
Age (yea s) 36.88 (10.79) 36.80 (12.60) 0.00 .99 .01
Child en (No) 56.2% 56.6% X
2
=.01 .92 V=.01
Rela ionship leng h (yea s) 11.44 (9.90) 12.91 (12.43) 1.56 .11 .13
Cohabi ing ime (yea s) 8.71 (9.68) 9.49 (12.41) 0.85 .40 .07
Educa ion le el 5.69 (1.48) 4.77 (1.67) 6.78 <.001 .58
A oidan a achmen 2.25 (0.71) 2.26 (0.77) 0.30 .76 .01
Own wi hd awal 2.21 (0.99) 2.70 (0.91) 6.07 <.001 .51
Pa ne demand 1.15 (0.38) 1.30 (0.54) 3.83 <.001 .32
Pa ne posi i e 3.80 (1.01) 4.41 (1.16) 6.66 <.001 .56
Rela ionship sa is ac ion 6.07 (0.93) 6.21 (0.66) 2.30 .02 .17
No e:V=C ame ’sV, as he e ec size o he di e ence in nominal a iables.
FIGURE 2 Pa h model o ela ionship sa is ac ion ac oss con ined and compa ison g oups. Values in i alics a e o p e-COVID-19 compa ison (non-con ined)
g oup and alues in bold a e o he con ined g oup. Be a alues a e s anda dized. *p< .05, **p< .01.
434 AVOIDANCE, COUPLE RELATIONSHIP, AND LOCKDOWN
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in imacy]), in he cu en s udy, only he dimension o a oid-
ance was ho oughly analyzed. Each dimension is composed o
18 i ems on a Like scale om 1 (S ongly Disag ee) o7
(S ongly Ag ee), whe e he i ems abou a oidance we e ela ed
o lack o com o wi h closeness wi h o he s and p e e ence
o emo ional dis ance (e.g., “I p e e no o show a pa ne
how I eel deep down”). Anxious dimension was ela ed o he
need o excessi e in imacy (e.g., “I wo y abou being aban-
doned”). In e nal consis ency o he con ined g oup in a oid-
ance was good (α=.85 and ω=.86), as i was o he
compa ison g oup (α=.83 and ω=.88; see B e aña
e al., 2020). In e nal consis ency in he anxious dimension
was good o bo h he con ined g oup (α=.89 and ω=.89)
and he compa ison g oup (α=.84 and ω=.84).
Con lic In en o y Re ised
The Con lic In en o y Re ised (Ridley e al., 2001;Spanish
e sion adap ed by B e aña e al., 2019) consis s o 13 i ems ha
measu e he ex en o which indi iduals (CI-Own) use one o
he ollowing con lic esolu ion s a egies: wi hd awal, including
i e i ems (e.g., “Lea ing he oom”); demand, including ou
i ems (e.g., “Name-calling”); and posi i e p oblem-sol ing,
including ou i ems (e.g., “Lis ening ca e ully”). A second pa
o he ques ionnai e e e s o how indi iduals pe cei e ha hei
pa ne s esol e con lic s and o wha ex en hey use he s a e-
gies men ioned abo e (CI-Pa ne ). I ems o each s a egy a e
measu ed wi h a Like equency scale om 1 (Ne e ) o7
(Always). In he p esen s udy, ollowing he heo e ical model
o be es ed, only own wi hd awal, demand, and posi i e p ob-
lem-sol ing s a egies pe cei ed in he pa ne we e analyzed. All
in e nal consis ency alues (C onbach alphas and McDonalds’
omega) we e accep able. The ollowing alues we e ob ained o
he con ined g oup (own-wi hd awal: α=.71 and ω=.73;
pa ne ’s demand: α=.80 and ω=.81; pa ne ’s posi i e
p oblem-sol ing: α=.71 and ω=.72). The ollowing alues
we e ob ained o he compa ison g oup (own-wi hd awal:
α=.75 and ω=.72; pa ne ’s demand: α=.73 and ω=.63;
pa ne ’s posi i e p oblem-sol ing: α=.66 and ω=.74).
Rela ionship Assessmen Scale
The Rela ionship Assessmen Scale (Hend ick, 1988; Spanish
adap a ion by Mole o e al., 2016) assesses an indi idual’s gen-
e al sa is ac ion wi h hei pa ne h ough 7 i ems measu ed
wi h a Like scale, anging om 1 (No sa is ied a all) o7
(Ve y sa is ied). An example o an i em on his scale is: “O e all,
I am sa is ied wi h his ela ionship.”The in e nal consis ency
o he scale was good o bo h he con ined g oup (α=.88 and
ω=.90) and he compa ison g oup (α=.92 and ω=.83).
P ocedu e
P io o da a collec ion, app o al o he s udy was g an ed by
he E hics Commi ee o he Uni e si y o Bu gos (IR 12/
2020) and he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y (M10/2020/
119R1). A e ob aining pe mission om he e hics commi -
ees, he ques ionnai e was hos ed on he Qual ics pla o m
o online da a collec ion om he con ined g oup. The link
was dissemina ed h ough email and di e en social ne wo ks
be ween he da es o Ap il 10 and 20, 2020, a pe iod in which
he indi iduals we e home con ined. Rega ding he compa ison
g oup sample, pe mission was ob ained o he use o da a om
a s udy ca ied ou he p e ious yea in Spain, in which he
same ins umen s had been used, and o which he au ho s
had p e iously ob ained pe mission om he e hics commi ee
o hei uni e si y. In his la e case, pa icipan s illed in he
ques ionnai es in a pape -and-pencil e sion. In bo h cases,
pa icipan s did no ecei e compensa ion and we e ec ui ed
by a snowball p ocedu e h ough people wi h simila sociode-
mog aphic cha ac e is ics and li ing in a simila egion o con-
ex o a oid la ge di e ences be ween he wo samples.
Da a analyses
Di e ences be ween wo g oups (compa ison g oup and con ined
g oup) we e examined h ough - es o independence samples,
analyzing Cohen’sd o de e mine he magni ude o he di e -
ences. Then we ca ied ou co ela ion analyses be ween a ge
s udy a iables. To es he hypo hesis and he o e all model i ,
we es ima ed using he maximum likelihood (ML) wi h AMOS
27.0 (A buckle, 2020). To compa e he i be ween he wo
g oups (compa ison and con ined g oup), we ca ied ou mul i-
g oup analyses wi h AMOS 27.0. We analyzed he media o ole
o con lic esolu ion s a egies (i.e., wi hd awal and demand)
be ween a oidan a achmen and ela ionship sa is ac ion using
he boo s ap me hod (Cheung & Lau, 2008) sepa a ely wi h
each media o . The media o e ec s we e analyzed using a boo -
s ap p ocedu e (5000 esamples) wi h 95% bias-co ec ed con i-
dence in e al (CI). I is conside ed ha i ze o is no included in
he in e al be ween he lowe and he uppe bound, he e ec is
s a is ically signi ican a p≤.05. Ne e heless, his s a is ical sig-
ni icance is unde s ood in a b oade con ex o e alua ing he
e ec size. Finally, o he compa ison o he magni ude o β
alues o eg ession ac oss g oups (Bou & Sa o a, 2007), we ca -
ied ou di e ences analyses.
RESULTS
Sample compa ison and p elimina y analysis
As only mino di e ences we e ound in he sociodemog aphic
a iables o bo h samples, excep o educa ion le el, in subse-
quen analyses his a iable was con olled o (Table 1). P e-
limina y analyses linking sociodemog aphic a iables wi h
ela ionship sa is ac ion we e also conduc ed in bo h samples.
No mean di e ences we e obse ed acco ding o gende o pa -
en ing s a us (i.e., ha ing child en o no ), and educa ion le el
was no associa ed wi h ela ionship sa is ac ion ( =.03,
p=.60 o he con ined g oup; =.02, p=.77 o he
compa ison g oup).
PsyCh JOURNAL 435
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As can be seen in Table 1, some di e ences we e obse ed
in ela ionship sa is ac ion ( =2.30, p=.02) be ween he
con ined g oup (M=6.07, SD =0.93) and he compa ison
g oup (M=6.21, SD =0.66), bu he e ec size was small
(d=0.17). Rega ding con lic esolu ion s a egies (i.e., own
wi hd awal, pa ne demand, and pa ne posi i e), al hough
he equency o use was highe in he compa ison g oup han
in he con ined one, he empo ali y e alua ed was no he
same in he wo g oups.
3
The e o e, hey will no be aken in o
conside a ion as a measu e ha can be in e p e ed.
Rela ionship sa is ac ion model in con ined
e sus compa ison (non-COVID-19-con ined)
indi iduals
Co ela ions be ween a iables we e in es iga ed. Table 2
shows he co ela ions be ween a oidan a achmen , own and
esolu ion s a egies, and ela ionship sa is ac ion in he con-
ined and compa ison g oup.
Acco ding o Hypo hesis 1, i was expec ed ha a oidan
a achmen would be associa ed nega i ely o ela ionship sa is-
ac ion o a g ea e ex en in he con ined g oup han in he
compa ison g oup. As shown in Figu e 2, he associa ion
be ween a oidan a achmen and ela ionship sa is ac ion was
nega i e in bo h g oups, being β=.41, p< .01 in he con-
ined g oup and β=.44, p< .01 in he compa ison g oup.
Rega ding he compa ison be ween bo h be a alues, as shown
in Table 3, we did no ind signi ican di e ences ( =.42,
p=.68). The e o e, Hypo hesis 1was no con i med.
Rega ding Hypo hesis 2, i was expec ed ha own wi h-
d awal (o con lic ) would be associa ed wi h his/he low ela-
ionship sa is ac ion o a g ea e ex en in he con ined g oup
han in he compa ison g oup. As shown in Figu e 2, he e was
a nega i e e ec o own wi hd awal on ela ionship sa is ac ion
in bo h g oups. Di e ence’s es was signi ican ( =2.20,
p=.03), being highe in he con ined g oup (β=.34,
p< .01) han in he compa ison one (β=.23, p< .01).
The e o e, Hypo hesis 2is con i med (see Table 3).
Conce ning Hypo hesis 3, i was expec ed ha own wi h-
d awal media ed be ween a oidan a achmen dimension and
ela ionship sa is ac ion o a g ea e ex en in he con ined han
in he compa ison g oup. The esul s showed ha he e we e sig-
ni ican indi ec e ec s in bo h g oups (con ined g oup =.13,
p=.00, 95% CI =[.19, .07]; compa ison g oup =.08,
p=.03, 95% CI =[.14, .03]). Howe e , he e we e no sig-
ni ican di e ences be ween he alues o be a ( =1.18,
p=.24). The e o e, Hypo hesis 3was no con i med.
Hypo hesis 4s a ed ha he links be ween own wi hd awal
wi h he pe cep ion o pa ne ’s demand would be highe in
he con ined g oup han in he compa ison g oup (see
Figu e 2). The esul s show ha he e was a posi i e associa ion
be ween own wi hd awal and he pe cep ion o pa ne ’s con-
lic demand, bo h in he con ined (β=.38, p< .001) and in
he compa ison g oup (β=.26, p< .001). Analyses showed
ha he e we e di e ences be ween he magni ude o he be a
TABLE 2 Ze o-o de Co ela ions.
12345
1. A oidan a achmen –.25** .15** .22** .55**
2. Own wi hd awal .31** –.26** .29** .44**
3. Pa ne demand .13*.33** –.29** .28**
4. Pa ne posi i e .37** .28** .26** –.49**
5. Rela ionship sa is ac ion .60** .53** .42** .43** –
No e: Con inemen g oup’s co ela ions a e displayed below he diagonal, while compa ison g oup’s co ela ions a e displayed abo e he diagonal.
*p< .05; **p< .01.
TABLE 3 X
2
Di e ences Tes Be ween Con ined and Compa ison G oups’Be a Values.
β o
compa ison
g oup
S anda d
e o
β o
con ined
g oup
S anda d
e o di e ences
β alues
compa ison
A oidance a achmen —Rela ionship sa is ac ion .41** .04 .44** .06 =0.42,p=.68 β
compa ison
=β
con ined
A oidance a achmen —Own wi hd awal .25** .07 .31** .08 =0.57,p=.60 β
compa ison
=β
con ined
A oidance a achmen —Pe cei ed pa ne posi i e .14*.09 .32** .08 =1.50,p=.14 β
compa ison
=β
con ined
Own wi hd awal—Pe cei ed pa ne demand .26** .04 .34** .02 =2.69,p=.01 β
compa ison
<β
con ined
Own wi hd awal—Rela ionship sa is ac ion .23** .03 .34** .04 =2.20,p=.03 β
compa ison
<β
con ined
Pe cei ed pa ne demand—Rela ionship sa is ac ion .07 .03 .08 .11 =0.59,p=.56 β
compa ison
=β
con ined
Own wi hd awal—Pe cei ed pa ne posi i e .26** .08 .08 .06 =1.80,p=.07 β
compa ison
=β
con ined
Pe cei ed pa ne posi i e—Rela ionship sa is ac ion .31** .03 .14*.04 =3.40,p=.00 β
compa ison >
β
con ined
*p< .05; **p< .01.
436 AVOIDANCE, COUPLE RELATIONSHIP, AND LOCKDOWN
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o he compa ison g oup and he con inemen g oup
( =2.69, p=.01), being highe in he case o he con ine-
men g oup. The e o e, Hypo hesis 4was con i med.
Conside ing he en i e model (see Figu e 2), he e ec o
he pe cei ed pa ne ’s demand s a egy on ela ionship sa is-
ac ion is nega i e and small, bo h in he con ined (β=12,
p=.01) and he compa ison (β=.07, p=.12) g oup.
When we examine he media ing e ec s o pe cei ed pa ne
demand be ween own wi hd awal and ela ionship sa is ac ion
sepa a ely, he e we e signi ican indi ec e ec s in he con ined
g oup (indi ec e ec =.06, p=.03, 95% CI =[.14,
.01]) and in he compa ison g oup (indi ec e ec =.04,
p=.01, 95% CI =[.07, .01]). The e o e, pe cei ed pa -
ne ’s demand is a a iable media ing be ween own wi hd awal
and ela ionship sa is ac ion in bo h g oups.
4
No signi ican
di e ences we e ound in he alues o media ion be ween he
con ined and compa ison g oups ( =.44, p=.66). The e-
o e, Hypo hesis 5was no con i med.
Hypo hesis 6s a ed ha he nega i e associa ion be ween
a oidan a achmen dimension and pe cei ed pa ne ’s posi-
i e p oblem-sol ing would be highe in he con ined g oup
han in he compa ison g oup (see Figu e 2). The esul s show
ha he e was a nega i e associa ion be ween a oidan a ach-
men and he pe cep ion o pa ne ’s posi i e p oblem-sol ing,
bo h in he con ined g oup (β=.32, p=.00) and in he
compa ison g oup (β=.14, p=.02). The analyses showed
ha he e we e no signi ican di e ences be ween he be a
alues o he wo g oups ( =1.50, p=.14). The e o e,
Hypo hesis 6was no con i med.
Wi h ega d o Hypo hesis 7, i was expec ed ha pe -
cei ed pa ne ’s posi i e p oblem-sol ing s a egy media ed
be ween a oidan a achmen dimension and ela ionship sa is-
ac ion o a g ea e ex en in he con ined han in he compa i-
son g oup. The esul s showed ha he e we e signi ican
indi ec e ec s in bo h g oups (con ined g oup =.06,
p=.02, 95% CI =[.11, .03]; compa ison g oup =.07,
p=.03, 95% CI =[.13, .03]). Howe e , he e we e no
signi ican di e ences be ween he alues o be a ( =0.28,
p=.78). The e o e, Hypo hesis 7was no con i med.
As can be seen in Table 4, he uncons ained model showed
hemos op imal i (χ
2
/d =1.45, p=.23, Tucke –Lewis
index [TLI] =.98, compa a i e i index [CFI] =.99, oo -
mean-squa e e o o app oxima ion [RMSEA] =.03).
5,6,7
Thus,
we can conclude ha he wo g oups i independen ly and ha
no equali y es ic ions a e imposed. This indica es ha , al hough
he a iables ep esen ed in he model would apply o bo h
con ined and compa ison g oups, he way in which hey in e e-
la e, and he weigh o he eg ession coe icien s, di e be ween
he wo g oups. The e o e, Hypo hesis 8was con i med.
DISCUSSION
The p esen s udy aimed a examining he e ec o COVID-
19 home con inemen on con lic dynamics and ela ionship
sa is ac ion, highligh ing he ole o he a oidan a achmen
dimension. Some ele an indings a e p esen ed he e. A oi-
dan ly a ached indi iduals’pe cep ions abou he con lic eso-
lu ion s a egies—displayed by hem and by hei pa ne s—
a e all ac o s ha explain diminished le els o ela ionship sa -
is ac ion. A oidan ly a ached indi iduals’ ela ionship sa is ac-
ion was a ec ed du ing he con inemen , his dec ease being
explained by s a egies used by hem and pe cei ed also in hei
pa ne s du ing he con lic . Ou s udy has also shed ligh on
he associa ion be ween some p o ec i e ac o s, like he ole o
posi i e p oblem-sol ing in ela ionship sa is ac ion. Finally,
his s udy p o ides mo e in-dep h unde s anding o he wi h-
d awal/demand pa e n ole in he explana ion o ela ionship
sa is ac ion le els in mo e s ess ul con ex .
Con inemen e sus non-con inemen condi ion
Rega ding he associa ion be ween a oidan a achmen and
ela ionship sa is ac ion, ou esul s e eal ha he con inemen
would be associa ed in some way wi h he decline o ela ion-
ship sa is ac ion, e en hough his associa ion also occu s in he
compa ison g oup. The e o e, con inemen i sel does no seem
o ha e a ec ed he ela ionship o hese a iables in a oidan
indi iduals. I is possible ha he pe iod o con inemen ca ied
ou in Spain was no long enough o p oduce ele an changes
in he pa ne sa is ac ion o a oidan ly a ached indi iduals.
As O e all e al. (2022) obse ed, i is possible ha con-
inemen c ea es a con ex in which he dis ancing s a egies
applied by a oidan ly a ached indi iduals a e hose ha unde -
mine cohesion. S ess could p oduce g ea e disconnec ion and
a oidance o hei pa ne s (Bodenmann e al., 2007; Repe i
e al., 2009), which would p edic a dec ease in ela ionship
sa is ac ion (Falconie e al., 2015). Ce ainly, ou esul s poin
in his di ec ion, wi h he con lic wi hd awal s a egy being
wha would p oduce a g ea e dec ease in pa ne sa is ac ion
in he con ined indi iduals han in he compa ison g oup.
TABLE 4 Mul ig oup In a iance Model o Rela ionship Sa is ac ion om A oidan A achmen and Con lic Resolu ion Spli by Lockdown S a us.
Model X
2
d X
2
/d p TLI CFI RMSEA LO90 HI90 Nes ed model X
2
d
Signi icance
le el
1Uncons ained 2.92 2 1.45 .23 .98 0.99 .03 .00 .09
2 S uc u al weigh s 38.15 10 3.81 .00 .89 0.95 .07 .05 .09 2–1 35.23 8 .00
3 S uc u al co a iances 39.24 11 3.57 .00 .90 0.95 .07 .05 .09 3–2 1.09 1 .00
4 S uc u al esidual 133.74 16 8.36 .00 .72 0.78 .11 .09 .14 4–3 94.50 5 .00
No e: The mos es ic i e model wi h a good i in i alics.
PsyCh JOURNAL 437
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Mo eo e , as poin ed ou by some au ho s, declines in ela-
ionship sa is ac ion du ing pe iods o s ess, such as con ine-
men , could be explained in indi iduals wi h insecu e
a achmen h ough con lic dynamics (Mikulince &
Sha e , 2016; Simpson & Rholes, 2012,2017). Rega ding he
media ing e ec o own con lic s a egies be ween a achmen
and ela ionship sa is ac ion, he cu en s udy showed ha
wi hd awal was a media o be ween a oidan a achmen and
ela ionship sa is ac ion. These esul s ollow o he s udies ha
ound he nega i e e ec o indi iduals’beha io in ela ion-
ship sa is ac ion in esponse o COVID-19- ela ed s ess (e.g.,
Ba -Shacha e al., 2023). Al hough ou esul s did no ind
di e ences be ween he associa ion be ween a oidan a ach-
men , wi hd awal, and ela ionship sa is ac ion in con ined and
in non-con ined indi iduals, his lack o di e ence could be
due o he leng h o he con inemen . Ce ainly, as Ba -Sha-
cha e al. (2023) poin ed ou , deac i a ion and dis ancing
s a egies deployed by a oidan ly a ached indi iduals o e a
p olonged pe iod o ime may nega i ely impac bo h objec i e
and subjec i e s ess. All o his, in u n, could end up nega-
i ely impac ing ela ionship sa is ac ion.
This s udy has shown ha he links be ween he con lic
s a egies used in he “own wi hd awal-pa ne demand”pa -
e n (i.e., because o someone’s wi hd awal, his/he pa ne
demands he con lic ) inc eased in con inemen . Some au ho s
a gue ha unde highe s ess, he e is a no able inc ease in
nega i e con lic dynamics and beha io s (Sch od e al., 2014;
Williamson e al., 2013). In ou s udy, we ound ha wi h-
d awal/demand pa e n was mo e e iden du ing con inemen .
Being con ined in a si ua ion in which indi iduals a e o ced o
adap hei ou ines, his es uc u ing could lead o highe
le els o s ess (Ju blum e al., 2020). Wi hd awal and agg es-
sion/demand con lic esolu ion s a egies could be he mal-
adap i e exp ession o con inemen .
As o he associa ion be ween he “own wi hd awal-pa -
ne demand”pa e n and ela ionship sa is ac ion, ou esul s
show ha his pa e n is no associa ed wi h low ela ionship
sa is ac ion o a highe ex en in he con inemen g oup han
in he compa ison g oup. This could be o wo easons. On
he one hand, a mo e de ailed analysis o he da a e ealed ha
his esul could be due o a gende di e ence in he magni ude
and meaning o he associa ion be ween pe cei ed pa ne ’s
demand s a egy and ela ionship sa is ac ion; be a alue was
nega i e and mode a e in size o women, while o men i was
posi i e and o a e y small size. This esul would be consis-
en wi h wha o he s udies ha e shown abou he di e en ial
e ec o ce ain iolen beha io s on ela ionship sa is ac ion
based on gende (Ka z e al., 2002; Williams & F ieze, 2005).
Speci ically, Williams and F ieze (2005) ound ha agg ession
pe pe a ed by hei pa ne s—bo h in milde beha io s (i.e.,
h ea s) and in mo e se e e esponses (i.e., pushing o g ab-
bing)—p edic ed only women’s low ma i al sa is ac ion, no
obse ing such ela ionship in he case o men. Ne e heless, a
eplica ion wi h a bigge and gende -balanced (also wi h a mo e
sexual o ien a ion-di e se) sample is necessi a ed be o e his
en a i e explana ion may be accep ed. On he o he hand, i is
possible o hink ha i con inemen would ha e been longe
(se e al mon hs), wi hd awing and pe cei ing a pa ne as
demanding du ing he con lic could ha e had a highe impac
on ela ionship sa is ac ion. As Ma jano ica e al. (2007)
poin ed ou , he longe he con inemen , he g ea e he
exp ession o nega i e con lic beha io s (i.e., wi hd awal and
demand), and hese maladap i e con lic dynamics could
impac mo e nega i ely in ela ionship quali y and s abili y
(Eld idge & Baucom, 2012).
Rega ding he associa ion be ween a oidan a achmen
and pe cei ed pa ne ’s posi i e p oblem-sol ing, ou esul s
showed ha he e we e no di e ences be ween he con ined
g oup and he compa ison g oup. Al hough ce ain s udies
ha e ound a nega i e ela ionship be ween he a oidan
dimension o a achmen and he pe cep ion ha he pa ne is
a sou ce o suppo du ing COVID-19 (Vowels & Ca nel-
ley, 2021), he e a e no s udies a p esen ha demons a e ha
he e a e di e ences be ween a con ined sample and a p e ious
sample in ha a iable, no in he pe cep ion ha he pa ne
sol es he p oblem posi i ely. The e o e, we can conclude ha
ega dless o he s ess su e ed, he men al models ope a ing in
indi iduals wi h a oidan a achmen e e o he g ea e deg ee
o sel -su iciency and independence om onesel and he pe -
cep ion ha o he s a e no able o p o ide suppo o display
beha io s ha bene i he indi idual in imes o need (Mikulin-
ce & Sha e , 2012).
The esul s on he associa ion be ween a oidan a ach-
men , pe cei ed pa ne ’s posi i e p oblem-sol ing s a egy and
ela ionship sa is ac ion ha e no been as expec ed. The
absence o di e en ia ion be ween he con ined and compa i-
son g oup could be explained by he p e ious esul s. Tha is
o say, i in a oidan ly a ached indi iduals he e a e no di e -
ences be ween he wo g oups in he use pe cei ed ha hei
pa ne s make o posi i e p oblem-sol ing s a egies, i is also
no o be expec ed ha his pe cep ion would ha e a g ea e
impac on ela ionship sa is ac ion in he con ined g oup han
in he compa ison g oup. Ne e heless, as we commen p e i-
ously, his esul could be explained by he speci ic du a ion o
he con inemen pe iod (Ma jano ica e al., 2007). P olonged
con inemen migh ha e esul ed in he sus ained pe cep ion
ha he pa ne does no esol e con lic s posi i ely, leading o
a dec ease in ela ionship sa is ac ion in a oidan ly a ached
indi iduals.
Finally, he esul s indica e ha , al hough he model p o-
posed wo ks in di e en con ex s (non-con inemen and con-
inemen si ua ions), he e a e signi ican di e ences in he
magni ude o some o he ela ionships be ween he a iables
(own wi hd awal- ela ionship sa is ac ion; own wi hd awal-pe -
cei ed pa ne demand), being s onge in he con inemen
g oup han in he compa ison g oup. In addi ion, he di e -
ences in he magni ude o he o he ela ionships be ween a i-
ables, al hough no signi ican , a e in he same di ec ion.
The e o e, we can conclude ha a oidan ly a ached indi id-
uals ac i a e mo e hei wo king models acco ding o speci ic
ypes o s ess ul ci cums ances (Simpson & Rholes, 2017).
This esul s in a oidan indi iduals showing a endency o be
unsuppo i e, wi hd awn, o uncoope a i e in hei oman ic
ela ionships (Simpson & Rholes, 2017), bu hese cha ac e is-
ics may be mo e isible in some s ess ul condi ions han in
o he s.
438 AVOIDANCE, COUPLE RELATIONSHIP, AND LOCKDOWN
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