Collectivism and commitment in Chinese people: Romantic attachment in vertical collectivism

We investigated the relationships between vertical and horizontal collectivism and commitment to a dating relationship, and the mediating effect of romantic attachment styles (i.e., anxiety and avoidance) on these proposed direct associations. Participants were 191 mainland Chinese university students, of whom 94 were men and 97 were women. They completed anonymous questionnaires regarding their degree of vertical and horizontal collectivism, commitment to a dating relationship, and romantic attachment style. Results showed that vertical collectivism, romantic attachment, and commitment to a dating relationship were significantly associated, but no similar correlations were found for horizontal collectivism. As predicted, romantic attachment mediated the effect of vertical collectivism on commitment to a dating relationship. Implications of the present findings for future research are discussed, as well as potential interventions for improving the quality of romantic relationships.