The study investigated the relationship between women's attachment styles and their tendency to experience sexual jealousy. Specifically, it examined whether women who have secure attachment styles are less likely than those with insecure attachment styles to report experiencing sexual jealousy.
The researchers explored the potential moderating role of self-esteem in this association.
Methodology:
A sample of 100 female participants was recruited from a university psychology course using convenience sampling. Participants completed measures of attachment style, self-esteem, and sexual jealousy. Attachment style was measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire, which assesses adult romantic attachment styles across four subscales: anxiety, avoidance, security, and disorganization. Self-esteem was assessed using Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale. Sexual jealousy was operationalized as the frequency of sexual jealousy experiences.
Results:
Regression analysis revealed that both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were significantly associated with greater levels of sexual jealousy, even after controlling for self-esteem. Specifically, insecure attachment was positively associated with sexual jealousy for women who experienced low self-esteem, while insecure attachment was negatively associated with sexual jealousy among those with high self-esteem.
Discussion:
The findings suggest that women's attachment style may play an important role in shaping their tendencies to experience sexual jealousy. Women with insecure attachment styles, particularly those with high levels of either attachment anxiety or attachment avoidance, may be more prone to feeling threatened by perceived threats to their relationships, leading them to experience heightened levels of sexual jealousy. The relationship between attachment style and sexual jealousy appears to differ based on the level of self-esteem, highlighting the importance of self-esteem as a moderating factor in this association. These findings have implications for understanding individual differences in sexual jealousy and developing interventions to address it.
How does attachment style affect sexual jealousy in women?
Jealousy is an emotion that involves fear of loss and feelings of insecurity. Attachment styles refer to patterns of behavior and beliefs related to intimate relationships. Women's attachments may affect their experiences of jealousy because they have different expectations about how their partner will respond when they feel threatened by competition from other people.