The relationship between insecure attachment, ruminative thought style, marital adjustment, relationship-centered and partner-focused obsessive compulsive symptoms in married individuals

Objective: This study aims to assess the effect of attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance on relationship-centered and partner-focused obsessive-compulsive symptoms by using the mediating effect of the ruminative thought style and marital adjustment. Method: The sample of this study consists of 351 married individuals aged between 23-70 with a mean of 38.9±9.77. Most of the sample consisted of females (65.2%), university graduates (77.2%), employed (76.4%), and people who continue their first marriage (96.3%). The Sociodemographic Form, the Inventory of Experiences in Close Relationships-II Short Form, the Ruminative Thinking Style Scale, the Revised Couple Adjustment Scale, the Romantic Relationship Oriented Obsessions and Compulsions Scale, and the Partner Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms Scale were used. The independent sample t-test, Pearson correlation analysis, hierarchical regression analysis and PROCESS mediation effect analysis were performed in data analysis. Results: Results revealed that the relationship-centered and partner-focused obsessive-compulsive signs in married individuals are positively predicted by anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and ruminative thought style and negatively predicted by marital adjustment. In addition, ruminative thought style and marital adjustment partially mediate the link between anxious and avoidant attachment and relationship-centered obsessive-compulsive signs. Besides, ruminative thought style and marital adjustment fully mediated role in the relationship between anxious and avoidant attachment and partner-focused obsessive-compulsive signs. Conclusion: Anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, marital adjustment, and ruminative thinking were predictors of relationship-centered and partner-focused obsessive-compulsive signs in married individuals. The mediator models examined the relationship between insecure attachment styles and relationship-centered, partner-focused obsessive-compulsive signs was negative. This relationship was explained by increased ruminative thought tendency and decreased marital adjustment.