Romantic relationships are one of the most important sources of well-being. Unfortunately, many people who begin relationships with high hopes later find that they are unhappy but unwilling or unable to leave. Why do people remain in unsatisfactory relationships? The present research examined whether elevated fear of change in anxiously attached individuals is associated with greater commitment to unsatisfying relationships. We found that fear of change mediated the association between attachment anxiety and commitment to relationships, and that fear of being alone was a serial mediator for the anxiety to commitment association along with fear of change.
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