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Abstract

Background

Stress-related disorders are increasingly common in modern societies. What adds to the overall burden, particularly in close romantic relationships, is empathic stress. Empathic stress arises when an individual observes another person experiencing stress. Investigating the impact of attachment on empathic stress responses can reveal potential risk factors and mechanisms of empathic stress. We hypothesized that secure attachment would be associated with empathic stress responding in partner dyads.
Methods

The Trier Social Stress Test was used to induce psychosocial stress in one partner (“target”) while the other passively observed the situation (“observer”). Stress reactivity was measured in both partners on the endocrine level, via salivary cortisol release, on the autonomic level via heart rate and heart rate variability, and on the level subjective-psychological level via self-report questionnaires. Attachment representation was assessed in the observing partner using the Adult Attachment Interview.
Results

We found that cortisol resonance (i.e., the amount to which an observer showed proportional cortisol release to the stressed target) varied with attachment representation. As hypothesized, securely attached individuals exhibited higher cortisol resonance compared to those with insecure, specifically insecure-avoidant, attachment.
Conclusion

Our study suggests that securely attached individuals are physiologically more in tune with their partners during stressful situations, possibly allowing for better understanding and triggering helping behavior. However, due to a higher propensity for stress resonance, especially in situations of frequent or extreme partner stress, securely attached individuals may also be at higher risk for increased stress levels and subsequent health impairments themselves.