Sexuality and Attachment Styles as Predictors of Romantic Jealousy Among Women in Edo State, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Increasing rates of violence in romantic relationships have been reported to relate to jealousy. Romantic jealousy may have protective or deleterious effects on relationships depending on the scope, severity, and influence of sexuality, attachment styles, and inherent socio-demographic correlates. Developing effective strategies for improving the quality of romantic relationships requires a thorough understanding of the dynamics of romantic jealousy. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effects of sexuality and attachment styles on romantic jealousy among female nurses in Edo State, Nigeria. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the nurses (n = 468) from four hospitals in two local government areas in Edo State, Nigeria, were investigated. Participants were asked to complete a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Multidimensional Romantic Jealousy Scale, Multi-dimensional Sexuality Scale, and Adult Attachment Scale. Results: Minority of the participants reported severe forms of romantic jealousy across domains (i.e., cognitive (16%), emotional (15.8%), and behavioral (17%)). While increasing age predicted cognitive jealousy, attachment styles, and sexuality jointly predicted all domains of romantic jealousy (R = 0.35, R2 = 0.12, F (11, 456) = 5.87, P < 0.01) among the participants. Conclusions: In sum, romantic jealousy was infrequent among our study participants. Patterns of attachment styles and sexuality were found capable of predicting romantic jealousy.