Attachment Insecurities and Commitment: The Mediator Role of Relationship Uncertainty

Abstract

It is widely known that attachment insecurity in romantic relationships reduces commitment to relationships. One of the factors affecting this relationship is the uncertainty experienced in the relationship. The main aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of relationship uncertainty on the relationship between attachment insecurities (attachment anxiety and avoidance dimension) and commitment. For this purpose, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted on 276 individuals with a romantic partner. A scale battery including a Demographic Information Form, Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R), Relationship Commitment Scale, and Relational Uncertainty Scale was administered to participants. A mediation model with Structural Equation Modeling and bootstrapping techniques was employed in data analysis. Results indicated that both attachment anxiety (β = −.21, CI: −.31, −.12, p < .001) and avoidance (β = −.07, CI: −.13, −.01, p < .05) significantly and negatively predicted relationship commitment via relationship uncertainty, controlling for the sociodemographic factors (age and relationship duration). That is, both attachment anxiety and avoidance tended to increase relationship uncertainty; increased relationship uncertainty in turn tended to decrease relationship commitment, albeit with different motivations. A total of 56% of the variance was explained by all the explanatory variables in the model. These results indicate that relationship uncertainty plays a significant role in the relations between attachment dimensions and relationship commitment. Additionally, the results indicated that relationship uncertainty negatively affected the commitment of individuals with attachment anxiety more than that of individuals with attachment avoidance.

Keywords

Attachment insecurities relationship uncertainty commitment romantic relationships

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