A Study on the Correlation Between Marriage Pressure and Anxiety Symptoms Among Unmarried College Students

Donghui Ren; Yifen Chen

doi:10.70088/xy046s82

Authors

Donghui Ren Hainan Vocational University of Science and Technology, Haikou, China Author
Yifen Chen Hainan Vocational University of Science and Technology, Haikou, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70088/xy046s82

Keywords:

marriage pressure, anxiety symptoms, unmarried faculty, psychological well-being, correlation analysis

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to systematically investigate the correlation between marriage pressure and anxiety symptoms among unmarried individuals in higher education settings, with a view to identifying key demographic factors that may moderate this relationship. Methods: A stratified random sampling method was employed to conduct a structured questionnaire survey among 150 unmarried university teachers aged 25 to 40 years in Haikou City, China. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent-sample t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation analysis, and stratified multiple regression analysis. Results: The self-developed marriage pressure scale consisted of 18 items organized into a four-dimensional structure, namely parent and relative pressure, colleague and social circle pressure, sociocultural concept pressure, and self-perceived pressure, accounting for a cumulative variance explanation rate of 72.9 percent. The overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.86, with individual dimension coefficients ranging from 0.71 to 0.83 and a split-half reliability of 0.79. The mean score for marriage pressure items was 3.13 plus or minus 0.82, with parent and relative pressure exhibiting the highest value at 3.46 plus or minus 0.91. Marriage pressure scores demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation with anxiety symptom standard scores (r = 0.45, P < 0.01). Female and single teachers reported significantly higher levels of marriage pressure compared to their male and married counterparts (P < 0.05). The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 24.0 percent. After controlling for demographic variables, marriage pressure independently accounted for 15.0 percent of the variance in anxiety symptoms (beta = 0.41, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Marriage pressure independently contributes to anxiety symptoms among unmarried university teachers, with female and single teachers constituting key targets for psychological support and counseling.

References

L. P. Plotica, "The fight for (free) time," Polity, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 780–806, 2019.

A. Gaetano, "‘Leftover women’: Postponing marriage and renegotiating womanhood in urban China," Journal of Research in Gender Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 124–149, 2014.

J. C. Caldwell, P. Caldwell, B. K. Caldwell, and I. Pieris, "The construction of adolescence in a changing world: implications for sexuality, reproduction, and marriage," Studies in Family Planning, pp. 137–153, 1998.

M. Irfan, F. Rehman, and S. Salman, "A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN MARRIAGE PRESSURE AND DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, STRESS ACROSS EMPLOYMENT STATUS AND GENDER," International Journal of Social Sciences Bulletin, vol. 3, no. 10, pp. 442–453, 2025.

A. Hassan, "Assessing association of societal pressure to get married with anxiety and depression among unmarried women (25–49 years) in Pakistan": a mixed method study, 2025.

Y. Ishizuka, "Causes of anxiety and depression in marriage," Psychiatric Annals, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 23–35, 1979.

D. Meyer and R. Paul, "A cross-national examination of marriage and early life stressors as correlates of depression, anxiety, and stress," The Family Journal, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 274–280, 2011.

Z. Yang, S. Li, R. Zhang, J. Na, Y. Li, H. Mu, et al., "Current heterosexual marriage is associated with significantly decreased levels of anxiety symptoms among Chinese men who have sex with men," BMC Psychiatry, vol. 20, no. 1, p. 151, 2020.

P. Kasalova, J. Prasko, M. Holubová, K. Vrbova, D. Zmeskalova, M. Slepecky, and A. Grambal, "Anxiety disorders and marital satisfaction," Neuroendocrinology Letters, vol. 38, no. 8, pp. 555–564, 2018.

L. S. Leach, P. Butterworth, S. C. Olesen, and A. Mackinnon, "Relationship quality and levels of depression and anxiety in a large population-based survey," Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 417–425, 2013.

R. C. Cronkite and R. H. Moos, "Stress, coping, and depression among married couples," Journal of Abnormal Psychology, vol. 92, no. 4, pp. 433–448, 1983.

A. S. Quach, N. B. Epstein, P. J. Riley, M. K. Falconier, and X. Fang, "Effects of parental warmth and academic pressure on anxiety and depression symptoms in Chinese adolescents," Journal of Child and Family Studies, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 106–116, 2015.

R. D. Conger, M. A. Rueter, and G. H. Elder Jr., "Couple resilience to economic pressure," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 76, no. 1, p. 54, 1999.

K. J. Conger, M. A. Rueter, and R. D. Conger, "The Role of Economic Pressure in the Lives of Parents and Their Adolescents: The Family Stress Model," in Negotiating Adolescence in Times of Social Change, 2000, pp. 201–223.

R. D. Conger, L. E. Wallace, Y. Sun, R. L. Simons, V. C. McLoyd, and G. H. Brody, "Economic pressure in African American families: a replication and extension of the family stress model," Developmental Psychology, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 179–193, 2002.