The relationship between cognitive distortions and women's self-esteem and marriage anxiety

Although recent studies have introduced marriage anxiety into scholarly discourse, the existing body of research on the topic remains limited. The aim of this study is to examine marriage anxiety with regard to cognitive distortions and self-esteem. The relationship between cognitive distortions and marriage anxiety, the relationship between cognitive distortions and self-esteem, and the mediating role of self-esteem have been addressed in line with the objectives and hypotheses of the study. The types of cognitive distortions that play the most significant role in marriage anxiety were determined. The sample consists of 531 females and 78 males, resulting in a total of 609 participants. Participants were administered the Cognitive Distortions Scale (CDS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Marriage Anxiety Scale (MAS), and the Socio-Demographic Form. Independent samples like t-test and One-Way ANOVA analysis were used to determine the relationships between variables, and in some variables, non-parametric Kruskal Wallis-H analysis was applied. Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were used to determine the relationship between the scales. Regression analysis based on the bootstrap technique was performed for mediation analysis. The findings of this study indicate that as individuals' cognitive distortions increase, marriage anxiety also increases, while self-esteem decreases. Additionally, it was found that as self-esteem increases, marriage anxiety decreases. The results also revealed that self-esteem partially mediates the relationship between cognitive distortions and marriage anxiety. Contrary to expectations, there was no observed variation in based on gender, age, income level, or educational status, however, as anticipated, the romantic relationship status proved to be a significant predictor of marriage anxiety. The research results were discussed and suggestions were made in light of the literature. Keywords: Cognitive Distortions, Marriage Anxiety, Self-Esteem, Single Women.