Attachment and perceived authenticity across relationship domains: A latent variable decomposition of the ECR-RS

Although prior studies have investigated authenticity and attachment across a variety of relationships, published research has yet to simultaneously investigate these constructs across multiple domains. American adults (N = 391) responded to a modified version of the Relationship Structures Questionnaire assessing four relationships (mother, father, romantic partner, friend) that included measures of attachment, self and perceived other authenticity, as well as interpersonal trust, need satisfaction and social support. A novel application of latent variable modeling provided more precise estimates of the role-specific regressions. As expected, self and other authenticity contributed to positive relationship outcomes, independent of attachment, suggesting that although the attachment system continues to shape interactions with close others across adult relationship domains, perceived authenticity often uniquely predicts relationship outcomes.