Cross-Sibling Attachment Styles and Marital Satisfaction among Married Lebanese

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the two-factor model of romantic relationships and to evaluate the relation of four attachment derivatives (secure, dismissive, preoccupied and fearful) to marital satisfaction and sociodemographic factors. Method: A total of 201 Lebanese married adults rated their attachment styles to a favorite cross-sibling on the Arabic Relationship Questionnaire (Arabic RQ) and their marital satisfaction on the Arabic Quality Marriage Index (QMI). The factor structure of the Arabic RQ and the intercorrelations of the four attachment styles were examined, as were their relation to marital satisfaction and the demographic factors of age, sex, education, and religion. Results: Overall marital satisfaction was positively related to secure attachment (r = .18, p .02) and negatively correlated with fearful attachment (r = -.22, p .003). Sex, education and religion were not related to cross-sibling attachment styles, but age was significantly correlated with dismissing attachment, older Lebanese reporting higher dismissing attachment than younger Lebanese adults. Conclusion: While secure and fearful attachment styles are associated with marital satisfaction, the Western-grounded two-factor model of romantic relationships requires rethinking in the Lebanese context.