Support Behaviours in Long-Distance Relationships

Support-seeking refers to how an individual elicits support from an attachment figure, and the support
provided in response is defined as caregiving (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2016; Mikulincer, 2006). There are
three attachment styles which an individual can have towards their caregiving - secure (comfortable
giving and seeking support), avoidant (resistant to seek or provide support; Simpson et al., 1992), or
anxious (excessive seeking, or hesitant if they doubt availability, ineffective caregiving; (Fraley & Shaver,
1998; Mikulincer, 2006). Couples in long-distance relationships (LDRs) rarely have an option for face-toface
communication and therefore must employ other communication channels to seek and provide
support, like technology (Morris, 2020). Currently, there is no research assessing these support
behaviours in LDRs, despite partner support being the best predictor or satisfaction for these couples
(Freitas, 2004). Therefore, this research aims to address this gap by investigating the support-seeking
behaviours which are employed by members of long-distance relationships, whilst assessing whether
certain communication channels serve specific purposes and if these behaviours are influenced by
attachment style. Additionally, the research aims to assess the influence of these behaviours on
relational and personal wellbeing. It is speculated that LDR's will rely on technology to seek support, but
avoidant individuals will seek and provide less support and favour channels that do not provide
immediate responses (like email) whilst anxious individuals seek and provide excessive support using
intrusive channels (like unplanned video calls). I expect that these individuals will have lower personal
and relational wellbeing due to these mistimed communications.