Article Version of Record

Factors Contributing to Personal Commitment in Chinese Interethnic Couples

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Zhong, Xinmiao
Malhi, Rebecca L.

Abstract / Description

Interethnic relationships are increasingly common in many societies, yet interethnic couples have a higher divorce rate compared to intraethnic couples. Given these facts and the dearth of research, this study aimed to identify factors that contribute to couples’ commitment in interethnic relationships. This study investigated the personal commitment of Chinese interethnic couples in the United Kingdom and the United States. Specifically, whether love, dyadic adjustment and “couple cultural identity” (i.e. acculturation to the partner and couple’s similarity on individualism/collectivism) would predict personal commitment and whether each variable would account for unique variance in personal commitment of the participants. Thirty-seven Chinese/non-Chinese heterosexual couples participated in the study and significant relationships between love and personal commitment, dyadic adjustment and personal commitment were found. Also, couple cultural identity was important for women’s personal commitment. Multiple regression and structural equation modelling showed that partners in interethnic relationships defined personal commitment in different ways with men emphasizing love and dyadic adjustment, and women emphasizing love and acculturation to their partner. The discovery of the importance of couple cultural identity in contributing to personal commitment, besides love and dyadic adjustment, helps researchers to gain a greater understanding of such relationships and to extend the research on interethnic relationships.

Keyword(s)

interethnic relationships personal commitment couple cultural identity love dyadic adjustment Chinese couples

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2014-06-27

Journal title

Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships

Volume

8

Issue

1

Page numbers

32–50

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Zhong, X., & Malhi, R. L. (2014). Factors Contributing to Personal Commitment in Chinese Interethnic Couples. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 8(1), 32–50. https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v8i1.146
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Zhong, Xinmiao
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Malhi, Rebecca L.
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-12-05T08:44:36Z
  • Made available on
    2018-12-05T08:44:36Z
  • Date of first publication
    2014-06-27
  • Abstract / Description
    Interethnic relationships are increasingly common in many societies, yet interethnic couples have a higher divorce rate compared to intraethnic couples. Given these facts and the dearth of research, this study aimed to identify factors that contribute to couples’ commitment in interethnic relationships. This study investigated the personal commitment of Chinese interethnic couples in the United Kingdom and the United States. Specifically, whether love, dyadic adjustment and “couple cultural identity” (i.e. acculturation to the partner and couple’s similarity on individualism/collectivism) would predict personal commitment and whether each variable would account for unique variance in personal commitment of the participants. Thirty-seven Chinese/non-Chinese heterosexual couples participated in the study and significant relationships between love and personal commitment, dyadic adjustment and personal commitment were found. Also, couple cultural identity was important for women’s personal commitment. Multiple regression and structural equation modelling showed that partners in interethnic relationships defined personal commitment in different ways with men emphasizing love and dyadic adjustment, and women emphasizing love and acculturation to their partner. The discovery of the importance of couple cultural identity in contributing to personal commitment, besides love and dyadic adjustment, helps researchers to gain a greater understanding of such relationships and to extend the research on interethnic relationships.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Zhong, X., & Malhi, R. L. (2014). Factors Contributing to Personal Commitment in Chinese Interethnic Couples. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 8(1), 32–50. https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v8i1.146
    en_US
  • ISSN
    1981-6472
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1822
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2188
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v8i1.146
  • Keyword(s)
    interethnic relationships
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    personal commitment
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    couple cultural identity
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    love
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    dyadic adjustment
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    Chinese couples
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Factors Contributing to Personal Commitment in Chinese Interethnic Couples
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    1
  • Journal title
    Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships
  • Page numbers
    32–50
  • Volume
    8
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record