Career Persuasion Attitude and Anuptaphobia: The Moderating Role of Exposure to Romantic Media Contents

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the association between career persuasion attitude and anuptaphobia and to see the moderating role of exposure to romantic media content between these variables among unmarried women. Unmarried women (n=282) aged 25-35 (M = 26.24, SD = 1.45) were collected from universities. The sample was purposive taken from Lahore, Pakistan. A correlational research design was used for the study. Career aspiration scale-R (Gregor & O'Brien, 2015), perceived realism scale (Rubin, 1985), fantasy rumination scale (Segrin & Nabi, 2002) and fear of being single scale (Speilmann et al., 2013) were used to collect data. Results revealed a non-significant correlation between career persuasion attitude and anuptaphobia. However, a significant positive correlation between romantic media content and anuptaphobia was found. Regression analysis showed that the number of hours spent on romantic media and its exposure to romantic content was the predictors of anuptaphobia. Regarding the moderation analysis, exposure to romantic media was not a moderator between career persuasion attitude and anuptaphobia. However, findings of the t-test revealed significant educational aspiration and anuptaphobia among the PhD and M Phil groups. The research highlighted the importance of balanced media consumption as this could potentially help reduce anxieties related to being unmarried.