Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to explicitly investigate the relationship between intimacy processes, adult attachment and caregiving in the context of romantic relationships. The studied investigated (1) whether anxiety and avoidance dimensions of adult attachment influenced an individual's cross-sectional reports of caregiving and ability to encourage a partner to disclose; (2) whether anxiety and avoidance dimensions of adult attachment influenced an individual's attempts at being responsive to his or her romantic partner on an interaction-by-interaction basis; (3) whether an individual's adult attachment moderated the relationship between his or her romantic partner's attempts at responsiveness and his or her own perception of the partner's responsiveness; (4) whether an individual's perception of a partner's responsiveness was related to his or her own evaluation of the quality of interactions. Additionally, the current study investigated the role of attachment dimensions above and beyond the effects of the personality traits, neuroticism and extraversion. Findings from this study provide evidence for a model to integrate intimacy processes, adult attachment, and caregiving.