Attachment Insecurity and Infidelity in Marriage: Psychological Pathways and Clinical Implications
This study focuses on infidelity psychology in married couples. The measure of infidelity was relative to attachment styles, marital satisfaction, commitment to relationships, and infidelity attitudes. Standardized instruments, including the Investment Model Scale, Attitudes Toward Infidelity Scale, Adult Attachment Scale, and Infidelity Scale, were used to collect data. The findings indicated that attitudes toward infidelity and anxious and avoidant attachment strategies were positively related to infidelity. In contrast, infidelity was negatively correlated with greater marital bliss and devotion. The mediation analysis revealed the mediating role of anxious and avoidant attachment styles between psychological variables and infidelity. These findings highlight the roles of personality inclination and emotional insecurity in infidelity. This study highlights the need to address attachment issues to reduce the risk of infidelity. Further, the implications for future studies and treatment modalities are discussed.Infidelity; anxious attachment; avoidant attachment; marital satisfaction; relationship commitment; family systems, emotional insecurity.
Authors
- Sadia Malik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5110-5924)
- Iqra Iftikhar
Institutions
- University of Sargodha (PK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy
- Published
- 2026-09-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623x.2026.2725777
- Primary Topic
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00