Ce travail se compose de deux études principales : La première étude est destinée à valider une version française de l’échelle d’évaluation des qualités d’attachement adulte (MAQ ; Carver, 1997). La deuxième étude est destinée à évaluer les qualités d’attachement chez les jeunes adultes antérieurement placés en famille d’accueil et de les mettre en perspective avec la perception qu’ils ont du soutien parental reçu dans le cadre familial de substitution (famille d’accueil ou assistante familiale). Les résultats de la première étude montrent que l’échelle de MAQ-Fr présente des niveaux adéquats de cohérence interne, de stabilité temporelle et d’une bonne validité du construit. Nous pouvons considérer qu’elle constitue donc un bon outil d’évaluation des qualités d'attachement auprès d’une population d’adultes français. Les résultats de la deuxième étude montrent que les jeunes accueillis avaient été marqués par leur expérience de placement. Leurs types d'attachement à l'âge adulte ont été influencés dans une certaine mesure par leurs expériences individuelles en famille d'accueil. Ces types d'attachement sont liés à la fois au soutien parental de substitution et aux conditions dans lesquelles se sont effectuées le /ou les placements. Les types d'attachement insécure influencent l'évolution relationnelle des adultes anciens placés en famille d'accueil. Ils ont alors développé des « modèles internes opérants » provoquant des défenses qui renforcent en fait les angoisses et la méfiance déjà présentes du fait des traumatismes relationnels précoces. Cette étude fournit à la fois des indices positifs comme quoi les enfants placés subissent des souffrances liées à leurs difficultés d’attachement et que celles-ci peuvent se trouver modifiées en bien ou en mal selon la sensibilité des milieux d’accueil à ces difficultés d’attachement. Les résultats obtenus mettent en lumière l'importance de s'intéresser au placement en famille d'accueil et aux relations entre les jeunes placés et les parents d'accueil, celles-ci étant des facteurs susceptibles d'influencer dans une forme de sécurisation l’attachement à l'âge adulte tout en renforçant l’autonomisation et les capacités de mentalisation. / This work is composed of two main studies: The first study intended to validate a French version of the of the measure of adult attachment qualities (MAQ; Carver, 1997). The second study is designed to assess the attachment qualities of young adults previously placed in foster care and put them in perspective with the perception they have of parental support received in foster care. The results of the first study show that the MAQ-Fr scale has adequate levels of internal consistency, temporal stability, and good construct validity. We can consider that it is therefore a good tool for assessing the qualities of attachment to a French adult population. The results of the second study show that the participants have been affected by their foster care experience. Their relationship styles indicate that their attachment style in adulthood has been influenced to some extent by their individual experiences in foster care. These types of attachment are related both to foster parental support and the conditions in which the placement (s) was made. Insecure attachment patterns influence the relational evolution of adults who have been in foster care. They then developed "working internal models" hat provoke defenses that actually reinforce the anxieties and mistrust already present due to early relationship traumas. This study provides both positive indications that the children placed suffer pain related to their attachment difficulties and that these can be modified in good or bad according to the sensitivity of the host environments to these difficulties of 'attachment. The final results highlight the importance of foster care placement and relationships between young in foster care and their foster parents, as these factors are likely to influence attachment in adulthood in a form of securing while reinforcing empowerment and mentalizing abilities.

Inledning: Anknytningssystemet har en beprövad inverkan på hur vi söker stöd i pressade situationer och kan reglera stress. Studien syftar till att belysa anknytningens betydelse för ledar-och medarbetarskap och upplevelser av arbete och hälsa.  Frågeställningar: 1. Har otrygg anknytningsstil (avfärdande/upptagen/rädd) samband med mer negativa upplevelser av arbete och hälsa? 2. Har medarbetare till chefer med trygg anknytningsstil mer positiva upplevelser av arbete och hälsa? Metod: 432 tjänstemän i svenska företag besvarade ett frågeformulär bestående av Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), Salutogenic Health Indicator (SHIS), Work Experience Scale (WEMS).  Resultat: Medarbetare med upptagen eller rädd anknytningsstil hade sämre upplevelser av vissa aspekter av arbete. Tryggt anknutna medarbetare upplever arbetet mer positivt. Chefens anknytningsstil påverkar medarbetarens uppfattning av vissa aspekter av arbete och hälsa.  Diskussion: Otrygg anknytning hos medarbetaren medför en mer negativ upplevelse av arbete vilket kan tolkas som en konsekvens av mindre effektiv stressreduktion. Fysiska aspekter av hälsa, självbestämmande och uppfattning om ledarskap påverkas negativt hos medarbetare med otryggt anknutna chefer vilket kan ses som en följd av ledarens brist på stöd till följd av dennes anknytningsstil. Betydelsen av struktur och trygghet, som arbetsrättslig lagstiftning medför, bör fortsatt diskuteras. / Introduction: The attachment system has proven influence on both how we seek security and safety and on the HPA-axis, the stress regulation system. The study aims to investigate the influence of attachment style among leaders and employees and on their experiences of work and health. Research question: 1. Does insecure attachment (dismissive/preoccupied/fearful) have a negative influence on experiences of work and health? 2. Do employees of managers with secure attachment have more positive experiences of work and health? Method: 432 officials in Swedish companies answered a web form consisting of the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), Salutogenic Health Indicator (SHIS), Work Experience Scale (WEMS). Results: Employees with preoccupied or fearful attachment had worse experiences of some aspects of work. Employees with secure attachment experienced work more positively. The managers´ attachment style did affect the subordinates´ perception of some aspects of work and health.  Discussion: Insecure attachment has a negative correlation with work experience which could indicate less effective stress regulation. Negative experiences among subordinates concerning physical health, self-determination and leadership are associated with insecure attached managers and could be a consequence of ineffective caring orientation of these managers. The importance of structure and security, which Swedish labor law provides, should be further discussed.

Individuella skillnader i val av copingstrategier är en viktig del av stresshantering och i förlängningen sannolikheten att drabbas av stressrelaterad ohälsa. Syftet med studien var att predicera copingstrategier utifrån personlighet och vuxen anknytning och att undersöka korrelationer mellan personlighet och vuxen anknytning. 174 vuxna deltagare (män = 40) i åldrarna mellan 19 och 83 år svarade på enkäten som bestod av Big Five Inventory (BFI), Erfarenheter av Nära Relationer (ENR) och Brief COPE. BFI mäter personlighetsdragen enligt femfaktormodellen, ENR mäter anknytningsstil enligt de två dimensionerna undvikande respektive ångestladdad anknytning. Brief COPE mäter coping enligt 14 delskalor som kan delas in i problemfokuserad, känslofokuserad och dysfunktionell (undvikande) coping. Resultat avseende korrelationer visade att det fanns en negativ korrelation mellan undvikande anknytning och vänlighet, extraversion samt samvetsgrannhet. Undvikande anknytning och neuroticism korrelerade positivt. Ångestladdad anknytning var svagt negativt korrelerad med samvetsgrannhet samt positivt korrelerad med neuroticism. Ingen av anknytningsstilarna var signifikant korrelerade med öppenhet. Multipla regressionsanalyser visade att extraversion, öppenhet, samvetsgrannhet och undvikande anknytning predicerade problemfokuserad coping. Känslofokuserad coping predicerades av neuroticism och extraversion. Extraversion och undvikande anknytning predicerade socialt stöd. Självanklagelse predicerades av neuroticism. Neuroticism och ångestladdad anknytning predicerade dysfunktionell coping. Personlighet och anknytning kunde tillsammans predicera problemfokuserad och dysfunktionell coping samt socialt stöd. Anknytning bidrog med unik varians för coping utöver personlighetsdimensionerna. Dock bidrog anknytning med relativt lite förklarad varians även om resultatet var signifikant. / Individual differences in choosing coping strategies are an important part of stress management, thereby affecting the risk of health problems related to stress in the long run. The purpose of this study was the prediction of coping strategies from personality and adult attachment and the examination of correlations between coping and adult attachment. 174 adult participants (men = 40) in the ages between 19 and 83 answered a survey comprised of the Big Five Inventory (BFI), Experiences of Close Relationships (ECR) and Brief COPE. BFI measures personality according to the five-factor model. ECR measures attachment according to the two dimensions of avoidant and anxious attachment. Brief COPE measures coping according to 14 subscales which may be divided into problem-focused, emotion-focused, and dysfunctional (avoidance) coping. Results regarding correlations show that there is a negative correlation between avoidant attachment and agreeableness, extraversion, and conscientiousness. There was a positive correlation between avoidant attachment and neuroticism. No significant correlation between attachment and openness was found. Multiple regression analyses show that extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, and avoidant attachment predicted problem-focused coping. Neuroticism and extraversion predicted emotion-focused coping. Social support was predicted by extraversion and avoidant attachment. Neuroticism predicted self-blame. Dysfunctional coping was predicted by neuroticism and anxious attachment. Together, personality and attachment predicted problem-focused and dysfunctional coping, as well as social support. Attachment added unique variance compared to personality alone. However, even though significant, the unique variance contributed by attachment was relatively small.

This study investigated the usefulness of administering the Adult Attachment Projective Picture system (AAP) through a cultural lens with two Latino youth receiving mental health treatment. The AAP is a measure developed from the Bowlby-Ainsworth developmental attachment theory that is used to assess an attachment state of mind for individuals. These case studies facilitated an understanding of how the attachment perspective may be combined with knowledge of cultural themes represented in the AAP results to inform mental health treatment. Each of the participants of this single-subject study design are youth who have experienced symptoms of trauma. We observe from this study how trauma, cultural traditions, and developmental attachment are related. Based on qualitative findings of coded defense process markers of the AAP and instances of traditional Latino cultural themes, the researcher discusses recommendations for future mental health interventions for these two youth. It was found that cultural influences were depicted in the responses from the AAP and could therapeutically integrate with attachment classification. Cultural orientation as an adaptive process is helpful in assessing attachment. When viewed as non-adaptive, acculturative differences may cause distress among families. Both cases from this study were moving toward secure attachment. Case 2 was able to maximize the cultural background to adapt and showed more cultural themes in the AAP which was consistent with the family traditions used in real life to support this youth’s mental health progress. Clinicians and families can address youths’ attachment needs and trauma by utilizing cultural influences to inform mental health treatment.

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No description available.

[pt] As questões de gênero sempre foram um tema de grande relevância dentro da Psicologia. A busca por compreensão desse conceito encontra explicação em diversas teorias. Podemos dizer que gênero está associado a uma categorização social. A orientação de gênero diz respeito a como as pessoas se delimitam em função dos papéis de gênero que assumem. As delimitações de orientação de gênero podem variar do extremo acordo com o sexo biológico até o extremo desacordo com o sexo biológico. Considerando-se assim a orientação de gênero foi possível elaborar um instrumento para mensuração desse construto. O presente trabalho foi divido em dois estudos. O primeiro buscou a elaboração e busca por evidências de validade da Escala de Orientação de Gênero baseada nos sete fatores da sexualidade humana (Escala OriGen). O instrumento apresentou dois fatores: Tipificado e Misto. O fator Tipificado afere o quanto as pessoas consideram que representam e desempenham papeis na sociedade de uma pessoa típica do seu sexo biológico. O fator Misto afere o quanto as pessoas consideram que representam e desempenham papeis na sociedade de ambos os possíveis sexos de nascimento. Além de uma estrutura fatorial ajustada ao modelo teórico, o instrumento apresentou outras evidências de validade satisfatórias, como relações conforme o esperado com os cinco grandes fatores de personalidade, papéis de gênero e apego adulto. O segundo estudo testou a orientação de gênero e a depressão como preditores do risco de suicídio, e investigou relações entre essas variáveis e a homofobia internalizada. Destacam-se as correlações negativas entre risco de suicídio e o fator Tipificado da orientação de gênero e idade; e correlações positivas entre o risco de suicídio e o fator Misto da orientação de gênero, depressão e homofobia internalizada. Conduziu-se uma análise de equações estruturais com as variáveis fator Tipificado da OriGen, fator misto da OriGen, homofobia internalizada explicando depressão, e depressão explicando o risco de suicídio. Esse modelo explicou, aproximadamente, 8% da variância da depressão e 33,8% da variância do risco de suicídio. As análises de equações estruturais indicaram que a orientação de gênero não impacta significativamente o risco de suicídio. Ou seja, a depressão e a homofobia internalizada são mais explicativas do risco de suicídio do que a orientação de gênero. Conclui-se essa tese contribui para a Psicologia como um ponto de partida. Um ponto para maior entendimento das questões de gênero e seu impacto nas vidas dos indivíduos, independente de qual grupo social eles pertençam. / [en] Gender issues have always been a topic of great relevance within Psychology. The search for understanding this concept finds explanations in several theories. We can say that gender is associated with social categorization. Gender orientation concerns how people define themselves according to the gender roles they assume. Gender orientation boundaries can range from extreme agreement with the biological sex to extreme disagreement with the biological sex. Thus, considering gender orientation, it was possible to develop an instrument to measure this construct. The present work was divided into two studies. The first sought to elaborate and search for evidence of the validity of the Gender Orientation Scale based on the seven factors of human sexuality (OriGen Scale). The instrument presented two factors: Typified and Mixed. The Typified factor measures how much people consider that they represent and play roles in society as a typical person of their biological sex. The Mixed factor measures how much people consider that they represent and play roles in society of both possible biological sexes. In addition to a factor structure adjusted to the theoretical model, the instrument presented other satisfactory evidence of validity, such as relationships as expected with the big-five personality factors, gender roles, and adult attachment. The second study tested gender orientation and depression as predictors of suicide risk and investigated relationships between these variables and internalized homophobia. The negative correlations between suicide risk, the Typified factor of gender orientation and age; and the positive correlations between suicide risk, the Mixed factor of gender orientation, depression, and internalized homophobia are highlighted. A structural equation analysis was conducted with the variables the Typified factor of OriGen, the Mixed factor of OriGen, and internalized homophobia explaining depression, and depression explaining the risk of suicide. This model explained 8% of the variance in depression and 33.8% of the variance in suicide risk. Structural equation analyzes indicated that gender orientation does not significantly impact suicide risk. That is, depression and internalized homophobia are more explanatory of suicide risk than gender orientation. We concluded that this thesis contributes to Psychology as a starting point. A point for greater understanding of gender issues and their impact on the lives of individuals, regardless of which social group they belong.

The effects of childhood exposure to parental intimate partner violence (EPIPV) on dating violence (DV) were examined through two layers of mediations. Based on attachment theory, individuals who are exposed to parental intimate partner violence are less likely to experience secure parent-child attachment, which in turn transfers to insecure adult attachment that is prone to perceive significant others as less trustworthy and less reliable as well as higher likelihood of over-reacting and/or staying in an unhealthy relationship. In the second layer of mediation, insecure adult attachment would lead to biased SIP which in turn, would result in an increase of DV. A total of 327 university students participated in the study by voluntarily completing the research questionnaires. Among them, 253 reported having experienced mild to severe DV and were included in the final data set. The data analyses procedures included examinations of the measurement models and structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses. Findings from the final models best supported by the data indicated that EPIPV predicted both dating violence perpetration and victimization and that EPIPV predicted adult attachment anxiety and avoidance, both of which are consistent with existing literature. However, findings revealed that EPIPV did not predict SIP and SIP was not predictive of DV perpetration. In addition, neither adult attachment anxiety nor attachment avoidance was predictive of DV perpetration and victimization. For DV victimization SEM model, adult attachment anxiety predicted SIP, however, SIP did not predict DV victimization. Findings are discussed based on DV literature and attachment theory. Limitations, clinical implications, and future research directions are also outlined.

本研究主要目的在探討有戀愛經驗大學生的「成人依附」、「社交能力」、「社會支持」、「寂寞」與「憂鬱」之間的關係。依此目的，本研究先探討不同背景變項的大學生在「逃避依附」、「焦慮依附」、「社交自我效能」、「困擾的自我揭露」、「社會支持」、「寂寞」與「憂鬱」上的差異情形，並以兩個模式探究有戀愛經驗大學生的「成人依附」、「社交能力」、「社會支持」、「寂寞」與「憂鬱」之間的關係。模式一探討「逃避依附、焦慮依附、社交自我效能、困擾的自我揭露、寂寞與憂鬱之關係」；模式二探討「逃避依附、焦慮依附、社交自我效能、困擾的自我揭露、社會支持與憂鬱之關係」。研究採問卷調查法，以台灣十一所大學805位有戀愛經驗的大學生為對象，並以隨機方式將之分為兩組，第一組399人，用來刪題與發展模式；第二組406人，用來驗證模式及探究不同背景變項的受試在各研究變項上的差異。研究工具包括成人依附量表、社交自我效能量表、困擾的自我揭露量表、寂寞量表、社會支持量表和憂鬱量表。資料分析方法為因素分析、信度分析、t考驗、單因子變異數分析及結構方程模式。 本研究以第一組樣本探討初始模式發現，初始模式與觀察資料間適配不理想，故根據修正指標進行修正，修正後的模式與資料適配後，再以第二組樣本驗證模式的穩定性，經驗證模式一及模式二具備相當穩定性，且模式一及模式二都與觀察資料適配，並能有效解釋變項間的關係。 主要研究結果如下： 第一，在背景變項方面：（一）女性受試的「困擾的自我揭露」與「社會支持」顯著高於男性；（二）一年級受試的「焦慮依附」顯著高於三年級及四年級的受試；（三）不在戀愛中受試的「逃避依附」、「焦慮依附」與「寂寞」顯著高於在戀愛中的受試，而在戀愛中受試的「社會支持」顯著高於不在戀愛中的受試；（四）無晤談經驗受試的「逃避依附」顯著高於有晤談經驗的受試，有晤談經驗受試的「寂寞」與「憂鬱」顯著高於無晤談經驗的受試。其他部分則無顯著差異。 第二，在模式方面：（一）逃避依附與焦慮依附會透過社交自我效能而間接影響寂寞，再間接影響憂鬱；（二）逃避依附與焦慮依附會透過社交自我效能而間接影響社會支持，再間接影響憂鬱；（三）逃避依附會透過困擾的自我揭露，間接影響社交自我效能，再透過社交自我效能間接影響寂寞，再間接影響憂鬱；（四）逃避依附會透過困擾的自我揭露，間接影響社交自我效能，再透過社交自我效能間接影響社會支持，再間接影響憂鬱；（五）焦慮依附會直接影響憂鬱；（六）焦慮依附會透過寂寞間接影響憂鬱；（七）焦慮依附對憂鬱的影響效果會大過逃避依附對憂鬱的影響效果；（八）困擾的自我揭露對寂寞不具直接影響力，困擾的自我揭露會透過社交自我效能間接影響寂寞；（九）逃避依附、焦慮依附、困擾的自我揭露對社會支持不具直接影響力，逃避依附、焦慮依附、困擾的自我揭露會透過社交自我效能間接影響社會支持。 最後，根據研究結果，針對個人、學校諮商與輔導實務及未來相關研究提出建議，以供參考。 / The Relationships Among Adult Attachment, Social Competencies, Social Support, Loneliness and Depression of College Students Ching-Ju Lee Abstract The main purpose of this research was to study the relationships among “adult attachment,” “social competencies,” “social support,” “loneliness” and “depression” of the college students who had romance. The researcher first investigated the differences in terms of “attachment avoidance,” “attachment anxiety,” “social self-efficacy,” “distress self-disclosure,” “social support,” “loneliness” and “depression” among the participants who had the different background variables. Also studied were the relationships among “adult attachment,” “social competencies,” “social support,” “loneliness” and “depression” of the college students who had romance by using two models. Model one was used to study “the relationships among attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, social self-efficacy, distress self-disclosure, loneliness and depression.” Model two was used to study “the relationships among attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, social self-efficacy, distress self-disclosure, social support and depression.” This study employed questionnaires to collect data. The participants of the study were 805 Taiwan college students who had romance from 11 universities, and were randomly divided into two groups. In group one, there were 399 participants whose data were used to cancel items and develop models, and in group two there were 406 participants whose data were used to test models and study the differences in regards of different research variables among the participants who had the different background variables. The participants were evaluated by Adult Attachment Scale, Social Self-efficacy Scale, Distress Self-disclosure Scale, Social Support Scale, Loneliness Scale and Depression Scale. The data were analyzed by factor analysis, Cronbach α analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA and SEM. The initial models tested by group one did not fit well with the observed data. Therefore, applying the modification index, the researcher modified the models till the models fit the observed data, then tested the models’ stability by group two, and came to confirm the stability of model one and model two. The researcher found both model one and model two fit the observed data, and could effectively explain the relationships among the variables. The main results of this study were as follows: First, about the background variables: 1. The scores of “distress self-disclosure” and “social support” of girls were significantly higher than those of boys. 2. The scores of “attachment anxiety” of freshmen were significantly higher than those of juniors and seniors. 3. The scores of “attachment avoidance”, “attachment anxiety”, and “loneliness” of the students who were not in love were significantly higher than those of the students who were in love, and the scores of “social support” of the students who were in love were significantly higher than those of the students who were not in love. 4. The scores of “attachment avoidance” of the students who had no counseling experience were significantly higher than those of the students who had counseling experience while the scores of “loneliness” and “depression” of the students who had counseling experience were significantly higher than those of the students who had no counseling experience. There were no significant differences among other variables. Second, about the models: 1. Attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety could affect social self-efficacy, and could thus in turn affect loneliness through social self-efficacy, and could indirectly continue to affect depression through loneliness. 2. Attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety could affect social self-efficacy, and could thus in turn affect social support through social self-efficacy, and could indirectly continue to affect depression through social support. 3. Attachment avoidance could affect distress self-disclosure, and could thus in turn affect social self-efficacy through distress self-disclosure, loneliness through social self-efficacy, and depression through loneliness. 4. Attachment avoidance could affect distress self-disclosure, and could thus in turn affect social self-efficacy through distress self-disclosure, social support through social self-efficacy, and depression through social support. 5. Attachment anxiety could directly affect depression. 6. Attachment anxiety could indirectly affect depression through loneliness. 7. The effect of attachment anxiety affecting depression was higher than that of attachment avoidance affecting depression. 8. Distress self-disclosure could not directly affect loneliness, while it could indirectly affect loneliness through social self-efficacy. 9. Attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety and distress self-disclosure could not directly affect social support, whereas they could indirectly affect social support through social self-efficacy. Finally, based on the results of the study, the researcher made some further suggestions for individuals, school counseling and future researchers.

L’objectif général de cette thèse est d’examiner le lien entre l’attachement amoureux des conjoints, la satisfaction conjugale, le mandat thérapeutique et le résultat de la thérapie conjugale telle que conduite en milieu naturel. Afin d’atteindre cet objectif, des couples se présentant en thérapie conjugale ont d’abord complété une batterie de questionnaires comprenant l’Échelle d’ajustement dyadique (Spanier, 1976) et le Questionnaire sur les expériences d’attachement amoureux (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998). Les thérapeutes ont par la suite indiqué le mandat thérapeutique poursuivi avec chaque couple (réconciliation ou résolution de l’ambivalence), suivant la classification de Poitras-Wright et St-Père (2004). À la fin de la consultation, le jugement du thérapeute a été utilisé pour classer chacun des cas comme ayant abandonné ou complété le traitement. Les couples ayant complété la thérapie ont rempli l’Échelle d’ajustement dyadique au post-traitement. Dans le premier des articles composant cette thèse, le lien entre l’attachement amoureux et la satisfaction conjugale a été examiné auprès d’un échantillon de 172 couples en détresse débutant une thérapie conjugale, de même qu’auprès de 56 couples non en détresse débutant également une thérapie conjugale, pour fins de comparaison. Les résultats ont démontré que l’évitement de la proximité semble être une caractéristique distinctive des couples en détresse et que cette dimension de l’attachement est fortement liée à l’insatisfaction conjugale de ce même groupe. Dans le deuxième article, le mandat thérapeutique, l’attachement amoureux et la satisfaction conjugale ont été examinés en tant que prédicteurs de l’abandon de la thérapie conjugale, auprès de 141 couples. Les résultats ont notamment démontré qu’un mandat de résolution de l’ambivalence augmente les probabilités d’abandon de la thérapie conjugale. De plus, les prédicteurs du résultat de la thérapie ont également été examinés dans ce second article. Les résultats obtenus au moyen d’analyses acteur-partenaire ont démontré que la satisfaction conjugale pré-traitement apparaît comme le meilleur prédicteur de la satisfaction conjugale post-traitement, et ce, malgré l’inclusion de l’attachement amoureux parmi les variables investiguées. Considérés dans leur ensemble, les résultats de cette thèse suggèrent que l’insécurité d’attachement serait fortement associée à l’insatisfaction des couples en détresse, mais ne nuirait pas pour autant à l’obtention d’un résultat positif en thérapie conjugale. En somme, cette thèse contribue à l’avancement des connaissances en se penchant sur l’utilité de la théorie de l’attachement en thérapie conjugale et en soulignant la nécessité de tenir compte des mandats thérapeutiques dans les futures études en thérapie conjugale. Les implications cliniques des résultats et des recommandations pour la recherche clinique sont présentées dans la conclusion de l’ouvrage. / The aim of this thesis was to elucidate the link between adult romantic attachment, relationship satisfaction, therapeutic mandates and couple therapy outcome. Couples seeking therapy in a natural setting completed the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Spanier, 1976) and the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998) at intake. Therapists classified the therapeutic mandate pursued in each case (i.e., alleviation of couple distress or ambivalence resolution) according to the Classification of Therapeutic Mandates Questionnaire (Poitras-Wright & St-Père, 2004). When treatment ceased, couples were classified as dropouts or completers according to therapists’ judgment, and completers were further assessed using the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. In the first of two articles, the association between adult romantic attachment and pre-treatment marital satisfaction was investigated in a sample of 172 distressed couples seeking therapy, as well as in a comparison sample of 56 nondistressed couples seeking therapy. Results showed that attachment avoidance was a distinctive characteristic of distressed couples and that it was a strong predictor of marital dissatisfaction among distressed couples seeking therapy. Based on a series of 141 couple therapy cases, the second article examined therapeutic mandates, romantic attachment orientations, and pre-treatment marital satisfaction as predictors of premature disengagement from couple therapy. The most striking result was that an ambivalence resolution mandate was strongly associated with increased chances of treatment discontinuation. Predictors of couple therapy outcome were also examined: actor-partner analyses revealed that the strongest predictor of post-treatment marital satisfaction was pre-treatment marital satisfaction, despite the inclusion of romantic attachment among the predictor variables. Overall, these results indicate that attachment insecurity is strongly related to distressed couples’ marital dissatisfaction, but that it might not impede the attainment of a positive outcome in couple therapy. In sum, this thesis contributed to the field of couple therapy by investigating the pertinence of attachment theory in couple treatment, and highlighting the need for further study of therapeutic mandates in couple therapy. Clinical implications for couple therapy are discussed, and recommendations for clinical research offered.