| According to attachment theory, new attachment figures can alter an individual's original internal working model. This study investigated sequelae of marital attachment in African American and white spouses in new marriages. It was hypothesized that security of attachment would predict (1) increased positive attitude towards employment, (2) increased self-acceptance, (3) decreased depressive affect, and (4) decreased perceptions of poor physical health. Two additional hypotheses were that (1) attachment security would mediate the association between childhood loss and adults' depressive affect and (2) self-acceptance would mediate the relationship between attachment security and depressive affect.;This study utilized longitudinal data from the Early Years of Marriage project conducted at the Institute for Social Research (University of Michigan). Marriage license applicants were recruited from first marriages with wives' ages younger than 36. During the first, third, and seventh years of marriage, 373, 264, and 171 couples were interviewed respectively. Scales for attachment and for each area of individual functioning were created by combining items from structured interviews. The relationships of attachment security with areas of individual functioning were assessed by hierarchical regression analyses with initial levels of outcome variables controlled.;Attachment security in the first year predicted the following outcomes in the third year: black men's increased positive attitude towards employment, white men's increased self-acceptance, and women's decreased depressive affect. It also predicted a trend towards white men's decreased depressive affect in the seventh year. Surprisingly, attachment security in the first year predicted white women's increased perceived poor health in the third year. Hypothesized mechanisms of the relationship between attachment security and depressive affect involving loss/separation and self-acceptance were not confirmed, although a moderating effect of loss was found for black men. These findings support a modest relationship between attachment security and various areas of individual functioning over time, depending on ethnicity and gender, and suggest that security in the early marital relationship may be especially important in impacting aspects of individuals' lives. |
