Abstract:

Marriage has a critical role in shaping families and is characterized by a multidimensional biopsychosocial structure. Understanding the psychological mechanisms that create this marriage-related multidimensional structure is crucial for healthy marriages, ensuring marriage satisfaction, and increasing couple compatibility. In this regard, this study primarily aimed to investigate whether a single individual’s attachment style would predict marriage anxiety. Another aim of this study was to examine whether marriage anxiety and attachment styles are affected by several demographical variables. In this study, which used the quantitative research method of a correlational survey pattern, 412 single adults over 18 years of age (59.2% female, 40.8% male, mean age=25.07, ±4.92) were surveyed with the convenience sampling method. Analysis of the data revealed that the model developed to explain marriage anxiety was significant and explained 26% of the total variance (R=.51, R2=.26, F(1,408)= 109.18, p<.01). Furthermore, while it was found that there was a difference in marital anxiety and attachment styles by sex and romantic relationship status of the participants, no significant difference was found regarding their other socio-demographic characteristics (age, educational level, income level, residing place, mother/father attitudes). The results of this research demonstrate that attachment styles of unmarried individuals are effective in predicting marital anxiety. It is believed that this study can serve as a foundation for understanding the nonfunctionalized roles due to marriage anxiety and developing early intervention studies for marriage anxiety.

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