Fear of intimacy among couples: dyadic and mediating effects of parental inhibition of exploration and individuality and partner attachment

This study tests a dyadic model in which parental attachment recollected from adolescence [namely, the dimension of inhibition of exploration and individuality (IEI)] would predict fear of intimacy through the mediating role of adult romantic attachment (avoidance and attachment). Data were collected from 249 romantic couples in a relationship for more than 2 years. After controlling for age and relationship status, we found a partner-anxiety...