Securely Stressed: Association between Attachment and Empathic Stress in Romantic Couples

Stress-related disorders are common in modern societies. What adds to the burden is empathic stress, arising when observing another’s stress elicits a stress response in the observer. In romantic couples, we investigated the association between empathic stress and adult attachment – a deep emotional bond in relationships – to understand facets of risk and resilience inherent to attachment. Psychosocial stress was induced in one partner (“target”) while the other passively observed the situation (“observer”). Stress reactivity was measured in both partners via salivary cortisol, heart rate, high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), and questionnaires. Observers’ attachment representations were assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview. As hypothesized, we found higher cortisol and HF-HRV resonance, that is, proportionality in stress reactivity in targets and observers, in dyads with securely as opposed to insecurely attached observers (specifically insecure-dismissing). Consistent with attachment as a resilience factor, our results suggest that securely attached individuals are physiologically more in tune with their partners during psychosocially stressful situations, possibly allowing for mutual understanding and triggering supportive behavior. However, suggesting a potential risk inherent to attachment security, in contexts of frequent or extreme partner stress, securely attached individuals may be prone to excessive empathic stress activation and subsequent health impairments.