Affectionate touch frequency is not always associated with well-being: A comparison of Latin American and Swiss samples

Affectionate touch is a consistent predictor of well-being; however, relevant studies have mostly been conducted in individualistic cultural settings, such as Switzerland and the United States. Moreover, cross-cultural studies on affectionate touch have largely failed to assess the measurement invariance of their measures. The Latin-American cultural context fosters warm exchanges in close relationships, based on “convivial collectivism” values. The present study aimed to investigate the measurement invariance of a self-report measure of affectionate touch frequency in romantic relationships to explore whether its average levels differed across cultural groups, and to assess whether the strength of the association of affectionate touch with psychological well-being differed across cultural groups. Individuals who reported being in a romantic relationship ( N = 581) from Switzerland and multiple regions of Latin America (North and Central America, Spanish-speaking South America, and Brazil) reported on affectionate touch frequency with their partner, and hedonic psychological well-being (indexed by satisfaction with life). Measurement invariance for affectionate touch frequency reached configural and metric levels but not the scalar level. Consequently, it was impossible to accurately test for intergroup differences in affectionate touch frequency. However, we found a significant positive association of affectionate touch frequency with well-being that was unique to the Swiss sample. We discuss the implications of our findings for cross-cultural research on affectionate touch.