Worried About us: Evaluating an Intervention for Relationship‐Based Anxiety

• Published date: 01 March 2017
• Date: 01 March 2017
• Author: Donald H. Baucom,Christine M. Paprocki
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12175

Worried About us: Evaluating an Intervention for

Relationship-Based Anxiety

CHRISTINE M. PAPROCKI

*

DONALD H. BAUCOM

*

To read this article in Chinese, please see the article’s Supporting Information on Wiley Online Library

(wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/famp).

Although romantic relationships are commonly a source of pleasure and comfort, for

some individuals they can be a source of persistent anxiety. The aim of the current investi-

gation was to explore the construct of relationship-based anxiety and to evaluate the effec-

tiveness of a brief couple-based psychoeducational session for this issue. Common

behavioral patterns and cognitive tendencies seen among individuals with relationship-

based anxiety were examined, including excessive reassurance-seeking, self-sile ncing, and

partner accommodation. In the current investigation, a single psychoeducational session

was developed to address these maladaptive interactive patterns of behavior specifically.

The session was administered to a sample of 21 couples and was found to decrease levels of

reassurance-seeking and self-silencing significantly among individuals with rela tionship

anxiety, and to decrease levels of maladaptive accommodation behaviors significantly in

their partners.

Keywords: Coup les; Anxiety; Reassurance-seeking; Relationship distress

Fam Proc 56:45–58, 2017

INTRODUCTION

For many individuals, relationships with romantic partners are a source of comfort dur-

ing times of stress. For couples who communicate effectively, a partner can serve as a

primary supporter and closest ally. However, for some individuals, their closest relation-

ships can become a source of consistent worry. They might commonly fear rejection, even

within the context of a stable, loving relationship. This anxiety can then lead to behaviors

that undermine the relationship over time, such as repeatedly seeking reassurance from

the partner or having strong reactions to minor occurrences of rejection. Individuals who

experience this type of relationship-based anxiety might suffer multiple failed relation-

ships as a result of this recurring pattern—although they greatly desire a sense of close-

ness and security, they can never seem to attain a satisfying level of comfort in their

relationships. Relationship-based anxiety is a broad term encompassing a wide range of

behaviors and thought processes, but we define it here as a pervasive and enduring fear

that the relationship with a partner is in danger of ending or that the partner is losing

interest in the relationship, despite little evidence for this possibility.

*

Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Christine Paprocki, Department of

Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB #3270 Davie Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.

E-mail: paprocki@unc.edu

This research was supported by the Randy Gerson Memorial Grant from the American Psychological

Foundation.

45

Family Process, Vol. 56, No. 1, 2017 ©2015 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12175