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Jealousy in interracial and same-race relationships
Vikki Pham1, Eri Sasaki2, Hanieh Naeimi2
1University of Toronto, Canada.
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
|April 7, 2025
Summary
Individuals in interracial relationships experience more jealousy, particularly general, cognitive, and emotional forms. A strong couple identity can buffer these effects on relationship satisfaction.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Relationship Science
Background:
- Interracial relationships are increasingly common but underrepresented in relationship science.
- Existing research on jealousy in interracial relationships is limited by small sample sizes and binary measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate jealousy experiences in interracial versus same-race relationships.
- To examine the role of attachment anxiety and couple identity in these dynamics.
Main Methods:
- A large sample of individuals in interracial (N=196) and same-race relationships (N=198) from the US and Canada participated.
- Jealousy (general, rival-directed cognitive, emotional, behavioral), attachment anxiety, couple identity, and relationship satisfaction were assessed.
Main Results:
- Individuals in interracial relationships reported higher general, cognitive, and emotional jealousy.
- Attachment anxiety mediated the relationship between relationship type and general/cognitive jealousy.
- Couple identity moderated the negative impact of jealousy on relationship satisfaction for interracial couples.
Conclusions:
- Interracial couples face distinct jealousy challenges, influenced by attachment anxiety.
- Strengthening couple identity is a potential strategy to enhance relationship satisfaction in interracial relationships.
- Future research should explore attachment development and other coping mechanisms for third-party threats.
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