A preliminary study on anxiety and attachment among Mongolian women who experienced partner infidelity

Abstract

According to the 2024 Statistical Bulletin of the National Statistics Office of Mongolia (NSO, 2024), a total of 4,463 divorces were recorded nationwide. One of the primary causes of marital dissolution is infidelity. For Mongolian women, the psychological state after being exposed to infidelity is not so obvious, but rather hidden, because it is directly related to social expectations and values. After the betrayal of trust, women experience many negative consequences, including decreased self-esteem, social isolation, loss of security, difficulty controlling negative emotions, fear of losing again, and increased internal family conflict. Many studies conducted abroad have shown that women who have been involved in infidelity experience a lot of anxiety. Within this study, a sample of 30 married women aged 26 to 55 residing in Ulaanbaatar was selected. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between anxiety levels and attachment styles among women who have experienced extramarital betrayal. The research employed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and a general demographic questionnaire to collect data. The findings revealed that women who had experienced infidelity exhibited higher levels of anxiety compared to the normative population. Preliminary findings also suggest that attachment styles may be associated with variations in anxiety levels among women affected by partner infidelity. Attachment styles showed limited but notable variation in anxiety levels, suggesting the need for further investigation with larger samples.