Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Mark Sirkin, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Ki Eun (Kay) Shin, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Danielle Zito, Psy.D.

Abstract

The existing literature has explored the relationship between insecure attachment styles and parasocial relationships, particularly focusing on traditional media such as television. However, it has largely overlooked the novel form of media represented by contemporary Chinese otome games, which offer an idealized digital environment potentially more appealing to players with insecure attachment styles. Moreover, previous studies have not sufficiently differentiated between general parasocial interactions and the specific nuances of parasocial romantic relationships unique to romantic video games (RVGs). This study seeks to bridge these gaps by examining the psychological underpinnings of Chinese female players' engagement with female-oriented romantic video games. It hypothesizes that higher attachment anxiety correlates with stronger parasocial romantic relationships, while higher attachment avoidance correlates with weaker ones. The research employed a quantitative survey design, targeting Chinese female RVG players aged 18 and above and recruited 217 participants through Chinese social media platforms including Weibo and XiaoHongShu. Participants filled out online questionnaires assessing attachment styles and the intensity of their romantic parasocial relationships. The findings suggest in the context of contemporary Chinese otome games, attachment avoidance demonstrated a significant negative correlation with romantic parasocial relationship strength while attachment anxiety did not significantly associate with PSRR strength.

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