Introduction: Infidelity is a salient relational stressor linked to anxiety, yet the mechanisms and boundary conditions of this link are not fully understood. Prior research indicates that individual differences shape psychological responses to relational threats, underscoring the need to examine personality-related moderators.
Purpose: This study tested whether obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCB) mediate the association between infidelity and separation anxiety, and whether openness in romantic relationships moderates this indirect pathway.
Method: Participants (N = 297) completed measures of infidelity, OCB, separation anxiety, and openness. A moderated mediation model (PROCESS Model-7) tested infidelity as X, obsessive-compulsive thoughts as M, separation anxiety as Y, and openness as W.
Result: The direct effect of infidelity on separation anxiety was not significant, b = −0.00, SE = 0.06, t(295) = −0.05, p = .96, 90% CI [−0.11, 0.10]. Higher obsessive-compulsive thoughts predicted greater separation anxiety, b = 0.29, SE = 0.04, t(295) = 6.77, p < .001, 90% CI [0.22, 0.36]. The a-path showed a marginal interaction with openness, b = 0.26, SE = 0.15, t(295) = 1.76, p = .08. Conditional indirect effects were significant at high openness (+1 SD), b = 0.07, BootSE = 0.03, 90% CI [0.02, 0.13], but not at mean or low openness. The index of moderated mediation was significant, b = 0.07, BootSE = 0.04, 90% CI [0.01, 0.15].
Conclusion: Openness amplifies the indirect effect of infidelity on separation anxiety through obsessive-compulsive thoughts. Individuals higher in openness appear more susceptible to obsessive-compulsive responses following infidelity, which, in turn, elevates separation anxiety. This suggests that openness not only shapes emotional reactivity to relational stressors but may also influence the cognitive patterns that maintain anxiety.