As expected, the low early caregiving quality/low adult romantic quality group had the highest number of anxious-depressed symptoms. This is consistent with previous research showing that early experiences that put one at risk for psychosocial problems in adulthood tend to be exacerbated within low-quality or problematic adult romantic relationships (Hammen, 1992; Rönkä et al., 2002). Intriguingly, the low early care/high adult romantic quality group had the fewest symptoms. Although this finding was unexpected in light of the organizational-developmental logic that both early and later close relationships should make equivalent contributions to later functioning, there are parallel findings in other research. For example, individuals who have insecure representations of early caregiving experiences have especially positive self-reported romantic relationship perceptions when their romantic relationships exceed their expectations of close relationship partners (Treboux et al., 2004). Moreover, past research with the MLSRA sample shows that individuals who have insecure attachment histories benefit the most from partners who are especially good at modulating their emotional arousal in the moments following conflict (Salvatore, Kuo, Steele, Simpson, & Collins, 2011).
