Attachment Styles, Negotiation of Goal Conflict, and Perceived Partner Support During COVID-19

Due to the pandemic, people have been stuck indoors with their partners for months. Instead of being able to rely on multiple sources of support, many couples have to rely on each other more. We investigated whether goal conflict, successful negotiation of the conflict, and individual differences in attachment styles were associated with partner support to understand factors that may enable or hinder goal pursuit during the pandemic. Participants (n=200) completed a daily diary for a week and weekly longitudinal reports for five weeks. Results showed that higher goal conflict was associated with perception of less relational catalyst (RC) support and more anti-RC support from partner, whereas more successful negotiation of goal conflict was associated with higher RC support and lower anti-RC support. Negotiation of goal conflict also partially mediated the association between goal conflict and support. Attachment avoidance was directly associated with less support whereas attachment anxiety moderated the relationship between goal conflict and support. Implications for partner support during the pandemic are discussed.