Bonded or stuck? Effects of personal and constraint commitment on loneliness and stress

In this study, we investigated whether individuals' personal and constraint commitment are differentially associated with their loneliness, as well as whether their commitment had an indirect effect on their stress through their loneliness. Participants included 255 couples in married or cohabiting relationships. Results of dyadic analyses indicated that individuals' constraint commitment and loneliness were positively associated and their personal commitment and loneliness were negatively associated. Further, there was an indirect effect of people's commitment on their stress through increased loneliness. Together, these results suggest that distinct types of commitment are differentially linked to psychosocial well-being.