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Objectives: Recovery and empowerment have evolved into key objectives in the treatment and care of people with severe mental illness (SMI), and interest has grown in the role of social relationships in recovery. This study is the first to explore whether attachment styles are related to levels of empowerment, and secondly, whether attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are associated with lower empowerment levels, independently of quality and frequency of social contact. Design: We used a cross-sectional design. Methods: In a sample of 157 participants with SMI in outpatient care, associations between attachment (Revised Adult Attachment Scale), self-reported social functioning, and empowerment (Netherlands Empowerment List) were assessed. Results: Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were both associated with lower levels of empowerment. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the prediction of empowerment was significantly improved by adding attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance to quality and frequency of social contact. Attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and quality of social contact were significant predictors; frequency of social contact was not. Conclusions: Although our design does not allow causal conclusions, our results highlight the importance of interpersonal processes and behaviours as routes to improving empowerment for people with SMI. A promising approach might thus consist of securing attachment bonds with significant others so that the self and the other are perceived as reliable resources. Our findings also feature the importance of reciprocity and equality in social relationships. Taken together, our study emphasizes the value of social, contextualized interventions in recovery work for people with SMI. Practitioner points: Working towards attachment safety in interpersonal relations may be important in recovery-oriented treatment and care for

This work adopts an Interdependence Theory framework to investigate how the features of interdependent situations that couples face in their daily life (i.e., situations in which partners influence each other's outcomes) shape attachment security toward their current partners. An experience sampling study examined attachment tendencies and features of interdependent situations that people experience with their partner in daily life to predict satisfaction and trust in their relationship, and changes in attachment avoidance and anxiety toward their partner over time. Results revealed that encountering situations with corresponding outcomes (i.e., situations in which both partners have the same preferences) and with information certainty (i.e., situations in which there is clear knowledge of each partner's preferences) assuage people's insecurity. On the contrary, situations of mutual current and future interdependence (i.e., situations in which each person's current or future outcomes are dependent on their partner's behavior) undermined security for anxiously attached individuals. Power (i.e., the asymmetry in partners' dependence) was not related to attachment security. This work underscores the importance of studying the role of the situations that partners experience in their daily life and the way they are related to relationship feelings and cognitions.

This work adopts an Interdependence Theory framework to investigate how the features of interdependent situations that couples face in their daily life (i.e., situations in which partners influence each other's outcomes) shape attachment security toward their current partners. An experience sampling study examined attachment tendencies and features of interdependent situations that people experience with their partner in daily life to predict satisfaction and trust in their relationship, and changes in attachment avoidance and anxiety toward their partner over time. Results revealed that encountering situations with corresponding outcomes (i.e., situations in which both partners have the same preferences) and with information certainty (i.e., situations in which there is clear knowledge of each partner's preferences) assuage people's insecurity. On the contrary, situations of mutual current and future interdependence (i.e., situations in which each person's current or future outcomes are dependent on their partner's behavior) undermined security for anxiously attached individuals. Power (i.e., the asymmetry in partners' dependence) was not related to attachment security. This work underscores the importance of studying the role of the situations that partners experience in their daily life and the way they are related to relationship feelings and cognitions.

The aim of this study was to understand from the adult attachment styles, the meanings associated with infidelity in college students with secure attachment styles and insecure. Explored the meanings attributed to infidelity in the context of a relationship and relational dynamics were recognized in consideration of their attachment style. The methodology used was of mixed type. For the recognition of attachment styles was used self-report scale Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR, Brennan, Clark & Shaver, 1998) and agreed to the meanings through focused interviews used as a tool of analysis approaches Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), finally settling for an analysis unit of 10 students. The results showed the following meanings associated with infidelity, according to the attachment style of the subjects: the infidel infidelity and immaturity, as expression the dilemma new v / s commitment as shared responsibility and self-responsibility in the event of infidelity, and pass out, as dissatisfaction with the relationship as relational transgression., El objetivo del estudio fue comprender a partir de los estilos de apego adulto, los significados asociados a la infidelidad en estudiantes universitarios con estilos de apego seguro e inseguro. Se exploraron los significados atribuidos a la infidelidad en el contexto de una relación de pareja y se reconocieron dinámicas relacionales en consideración de sus estilos de apego. La metodología utilizada fue de tipo mixto. Para el reconocimiento de los estilos de apego se utilizó la escala de auto-reporte Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR, Brennan, Clark & Shaver, 1998) y se accedió a los significados a través de entrevistas focalizadas utilizando como herramienta de análisis los planteamientos de la Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), conformándose finalmente una unidad de análisis de 10 estudiantes. Los resultados arrojaron los siguientes significados asociados a la infidelidad, según el estilo de apego de los sujetos: Infidelidad como inmadurez del infiel, como expresión del dilema novedad v/s compromiso, como responsabilidad compartida o autoresponsabilización en el evento de la infidelidad, como pase de salida, como insatisfacción a la relación y como transgresión relacional.