International Journal of Behavioral Sciences

International Journal of Behavioral Sciences

Structural Equation Model of the Relationship between Brain-Behavioral Systems and Attachment Styles with Emotion Dysregulation in Couples with Conflict

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah Branch, Kermanshah, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: The quality of a person's relationships can be influenced by their ability to effectively regulate emotions. The primary objective of this research was to create a structural equation model that explores the connection between brain-behavioral systems and attachment styles with emotion dysregulation within couples experiencing conflict in Kermanshah.
Method: This descriptive-correlational study investigated the association between the variables using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The statistical population consisted of all couples seeking counseling services within the Kermanshah region during the year 2022-2023. A clustered approach was used to select a sample of 200 couples with conflict. The Multidimensional Emotion Questionnaire (MEQ), Behavioral Inhibition and Activation Scales (BIS/BAS), and Collins and Read Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS) were utilized for this study. The analysis of the data and testing of the research hypotheses were conducted using the structural equation model and IBM AMOS 26 software.
Results: Findings revealed that there was a notable beneficial impact of brain-behavioral systems on emotional regulation disorders (B=0.58, P<0.001). Path suggests that the brain-behavioral systems had a moderate to high influence on individuals' emotional regulation disorders, leading to an increase in such disorders. After analyzing the structural model in the research, the attachment styles had a strong and positive impact on emotional dysregulation (B=0.73, p<0.001).
Conclusion: It can be inferred that the significant role of emotional regulation challenges in conflicts between couples plays a crucial part in the development and persistence of this disorder. Consequently, it holds great significance. Therefore, incorporating therapies focused on controlling emotions, like recognizing and controlling emotions, can be advantageous in couples’ therapy and render it easier to handle.
Keywords

  1. Saffarian MR, HajiArbabi F, & Ashoori J. The effectiveness of spiritual therapy in order to increase marital satisfaction and decrease generalized anxiety disorder of women. Journal of Woman and Family Studies. 2015; 7(1): 95-113. https://rbs.mui.ac.ir/article-1-524-fa.pd
  2. Broderick CB, Schrader SS. The history of professional marriage and family therapy. InHandbook of family therapy 2014 Jan 21 (pp. 3-40). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315803661-2
  3. Mirzakhani F, Khodadadi Sangdeh J, Nabipour AR. Marital factors affecting addiction among Iranian women: a qualitative study. Journal of Substance Use. 2020 Jan 2;25(1):28-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2019.1659867
  4. Gross JJ, editor. Handbook of emotion regulation. Guilford publications; 2013 Dec 17. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285501515_Handbook_of_emotion_regulation

 

  1. Ochsner KN, Gross JJ. The cognitive control of emotion. Trends in cognitive sciences. 2005 May 1;9(5):242-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2005.03.010.
  2. Weems CF, Pina AA. The assessment of emotion regulation: Improving construct validity in research on psychopathology in youth—An introduction to the special section. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment. 2010 Mar;32:1-7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-010-9178-5
  3. Quirin M, Kuhl J, Düsing R. Oxytocin buffers cortisol responses to stress in individuals with impaired emotion regulation abilities. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011 Jul 1;36(6):898-904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.12.005.
  4. Byramy M, Hashemy T, Ashory M. Effectiveness of emotional Regulation training on students social adaptation and interpersonal sensitivity. Social Psychology Research. 2017 Oct 23;7(27):1-4. https://www.socialpsychology.ir/article_67082.html?lang=en
  5. Wang YX, Yin B. A new understanding of the cognitive reappraisal technique: an extension based on the schema theory. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 2023 Apr 17;17:1174585. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1174585.
  6. Kupferberg A, Hasler G. The social cost of depression: Investigating the impact of impaired social emotion regulation, social cognition, and interpersonal behavior on social functioning. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports. 2023 Jul 26:100631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2023.100631
  7. Thompson NM, Van Reekum CM, Chakrabarti B. Cognitive and affective empathy relate differentially to emotion regulation. Affective Science. 2022 Mar;3(1):118-34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-021-00062-w
  8. Millán-Sánchez A, Madinabeitia I, de la Vega R, Cárdenas D, Ureña A. Effects of emotional regulation and impulsivity on sports performance: the mediating role of gender and competition level. Frontiers in Psychology. 2023;14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1164956
  9. Cundy L. Attachment and the defence against intimacy: Understanding and working with avoidant attachment, self-hatred, and shame. Routledge; 2018 Sep 3. https://www.routledge.com/ /p/book/9781138330450?srsltid
  10. Huang CY, Sirikantraporn S, Pichayayothin NB, Turner-Cobb JM. Parental attachment, adult-child romantic attachment, and marital satisfaction: An examination of cultural context in Taiwanese and Thai heterosexual couples. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2020 Feb;17(3):692. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030692
  11. Huang CY, Sirikantraporn S, Pichayayothin NB, Turner-Cobb JM. Parental Attachment, Adult-Child Romantic Attachment, and Marital Satisfaction: An Examination of Cultural Context in Taiwanese and Thai Heterosexual Couples. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jan 21;17(3):692. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030692.
  12. Merchán-Clavellino A, Alameda-Bailén JR, Zayas García A, Guil R. Mediating Effect of Trait Emotional Intelligence Between the Behavioral Activation System (BAS)/Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) and Positive and Negative Affect. Front Psychol. 2019 Mar 5;10:424. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00424
  13. Xu M, Wang J, Jin Z, Xia L, Lian Q, Huyang S, Wu D. The Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System Scales: Measurement Invariance Across Gender in Chinese University Students. Front Psychol. 2021 Dec 14;12:681753. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.681753
  14. Clavél FD, Cutrona CE, Russell DW. United and divided by stress: How stressors differentially influence social support in African American couples over time. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2017 Jul;43(7):1050-64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167217704195
  15. Rawlings A. Effects of BIS/BAS on achievement goal orientations.2015 https://helda.helsinki.fi/items/3207b958-71b6-4a50-9fe8-2c084df9cd8b.
  16. Jackson CJ. Jackson-5 scales of revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (r-RST) and their application to dysfunctional real world outcomes. Journal of Research in

 

  1. 2009 Aug 1;43(4):556-69. . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2009.02.007
  2. Kline RB. Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling, 3rd edn (New York: Guilford). Find this resource. 2011. https://dl.icdst.org/pdfs/files4/befc0f8521c770249dd18726a917cf90.pdf
  3. Gratz KL, Roemer L. Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of psychopathology and behavioral assessment. 2004 Mar;26:41-54. https://doi.org/1007/s10862-008-9102-4
  4. Shams J, Azizi A, Mirzaei A. Correlation between distress tolerance and emotional regulation with students smoking dependence. Hakim Journal. 2010 Apr 10;13(1):11-8.  http://hakim.tums.ac.ir/article-1-608-en.html
  5. Carver CS, White TL. Behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation, and affective responses to impending reward and punishment: the BIS/BAS scales. Journal of personality and social psychology. 1994 Aug;67(2):319.https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.67.2.319
  6. Hassani J. Assessment of Psychometric properties of Behavioral activation and Behavioral inhibition systems scale associated with impulsivity and anxiety. Razi Journal of Medical Sciences. 2016 Jun 10;23(144):68-80. https://doi.org/29252/nirp.ijpcp.23.2.148
  7. Collins NL. Working models of attachment: Implications for explanation, emotion, and behavior. Journal of personality and social psychology. 1996 Oct;71(4):810. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.71.4.810.
  8. Asgarizadeh A, Pakdaman S, Hunjani M, Ghanbari S. Iranian Adaptation of the Revised Adult Attachment Scale: Validity and Reliability in the General Population. Journal of Applied Psychology. 2023 Apr 6. https://doi.org/48308/apsy.2023.230293.1443
  9. Kim JA. The Effects of Behavioral Activation System/Behavioral Inhibition System (BAS/BIS) and Peer Pressure on Smartphone Overdependence Among Korean Adolescents. Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2023;42(4):102-17. https://doi.org/15842/kjcp.2023.42.4.002
  10. Dehghan H, Naderi H, Baezzat F, Hashemi S. Effectiveness of Compassionate Mind-Based Cognitive Therapy on Adolescents' Behavioral Activation-Inhibition Systems and Theory of Mind. International Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences. 2022 Jan 1;9(3):22-32. https://doi.org/10.22037/ijabs.v9i3.35912
  11. Soltan Mohammadlou S, Gharraee B, Fathali Lvasani F, Gohari R. The relationship of Behavioral Activation and Inhibition Systems (BAS/BIS), difficulty of emotional regulation, metacognition with worry. Research in cognitive and behavioral sciences. 2013 Dec 22;3(2):85-100. https://cbs.ui.ac.ir/article_17311_en.html
  12. Aghajani M, Izadi M, Farrokhi N, Hassani F. Investigating the Relationships Between Reinforcement Sensitivity and Positive and Negative Emotion Dysregulation. PCP 2022; 10 (1) :23-32 https://doi.org/10.32598/jpcp.10.1.771.3
  13. Cheche Hoover R, Jackson JB. Insecure attachment, emotion dysregulation, and psychological aggression in couples. Journal of interpersonal violence. 2021 Oct;36(19-20):NP10908-36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519877939.
  14. Abdolmaleki MS, Fard FD, Behbodi M. Providing a Model for Predicting Couples' Emotional Divorce Based on Metacognitive Beliefs and Emotional Regulation Strategies Mediated by Marital Burnout in Married Women. Applied Family Therapy Journal (AFTJ). 2021 Jun 1;2(2):1-28. https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/aftj/article/view/729
  15. Pourkhaljan NS, Asadi J, Hassanzadeh R, Khoshali AK. Investigating the Mediating Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation in the Relationship between Attachment Styles and Emotional Literacy with a Tendency to Extramarital Relationships. Journal of Consulting Excellence and Psychotherapy: Issue. 2022;43:26-38. https://journals.iau.ir/article_692986_36da4aa7d798ec6b30514b7f383d30a4.pdf
  16. Sadeghi A, Qorbanpoor Lafmejani A. Investigating the structural relationship between attachment styles and childhood trauma with a tendency to extramarital relationships: The mediating role of emotional schemas. Rooyesh-e-Ravanshenasi Journal (RRJ). 2022 Dec 10;11(10):37-48. http://frooyesh.ir/article-1-4024-en.html