Women Victimization Information Exposure and Chinese Unmarried Women’s Marital Intention: The Mediating Role of Safety Anxiety

Extensive online coverage of women's victimization in romantic relationships has made intimate partner violence and gender inequality more publicly visible. However, little is known about how repeated exposure to such information relates to women's safety perceptions and marital decision-making. This research examined the association between online exposure to women victimization information and Chinese unmarried women's marital intention, with safety anxiety as a mediator. Study 1 (n = 670) showed that exposure was negatively associated with marital intention and positively associated with safety anxiety, and that safety anxiety mediated this association. Study 2 (n = 248), a six-month longitudinal follow-up, further supported the temporal associations among exposure, safety anxiety, and marital intention after controlling for baseline levels. These findings identify safety anxiety as a psychological pathway linking online exposure to women victimization information with women's marital intention, and suggest that women's safety concerns should be considered when understanding marital hesitation in contemporary digital contexts.