Gender differences in romantic jealousy and attachment styles

Objective: We examined the gender differences and attachment styles with regard to the phenomenology of jealousy among married individuals.

Method: The study included 86 married couples who presented to the Marriage Counselling Centre at the Bakırköy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery. Subjects were evaluated in terms of sociodemographic data, the Romantic Jealousy Questionnaire, and the Adult Attachment Style Scale.

Results: In our population, 79% of males and 66% of females defined themselves as jealous. Females had higher emotional and cognitive scores than male participants. Females had higher scores on the negative effects of jealousy. Female commitment scores were higher than those of males. Ambivalent attachment was positively correlated with physical, emotional, and behavioural responses to jealousy and inadequacy as a reason for jealousy.

Conclusions: We suggest that a multidimensional approach permits to identify and guide responses to the challenge of romantic jealousy.