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This study aims to test the predictive capacity of the attachment theory in delineating the line between normal and pathological love as well as testing the moderating role of gender in the link between insecure attachment and sexual satisfaction. We administered to a sample of 307 adults the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), the Love Addiction Inventory (LAI), the Passionate Love Scale (PLS), and the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSSS). We found that some subscales of the ASQ predict LAI scores and that the relationship between passionate love and love addiction was positively moderated by insecure styles of attachment (i.e. discomfort for closeness, preoccupation for relationships, and need for approval). In addition, insecure attachment was negatively related to sexual satisfaction. However, moderation analyses evidenced that the relationship between attachment avoidance and low sexual satisfaction was positive only among males. The study confirmed the utility of the attachment perspective in the understanding of the processes underlying romantic relationships. Results also suggest that the quality of attachment style may be a key factor in differentiating normal from pathological love and that the impact of avoidant attachment style on sexual satisfaction may follow different pathways according to gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new measure for assessing an individual's perception of the dyadic difficulties in emotion regulation with a romantic partner is tested. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–Dyadic (DERS‐D) was obtained by adapting some items of the previous Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) to the dyadic context. The scale was administered both to a sample of university students (N = 835) to explore its factorial structure and to a convenience sample (N = 833) together with the DERS, the DERS‐Positive, the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ), and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) to confirm the factorial structure and to explore its construct validity. Results highlight that DERS‐D measures two distinct features, namely the lack of dyadic awareness and the lack of dyadic clarity, and that configural invariance across genders was met. DERS‐D subscales' internal consistency was high. The correlations between the DERS‐D and the other measures demonstrated its construct and criterion validity. The promising nature of these results is discussed in light of the potential clinical and empirical uses of the DERS‐D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]