Micro-Drama narrative engagement and marriage anxiety among Chinese college and university students: Cross-sectional associations with romantic reality comparison and mate-selection materialism

Digital micro-dramas are a prominent short-form narrative format in China, but the relationship between engagement with these narratives and young adults’ relationship beliefs is not well understood. This cross-sectional survey examined associations among general micro-drama narrative engagement (MVE), romantic reality comparison (RRC), mate-selection materialism (MSM), and future-oriented marriage anxiety (MA) in 2,015 Chinese college and university students. Media literacy (ML) was examined as an additional correlate and, exploratorily, as a moderator. Confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrap analysis were applied. MVE was positively associated with RRC (β = 0.614), RRC with MSM (β = 0.358) and MA (β = 0.281), and MSM with MA (β = 0.140; all p < 0.001). The modeled sequential indirect association was small (B = 0.034, 95% percentile CI [0.017, 0.051]; standardized estimate = 0.031). ML was negatively associated with RRC, MSM, and MA, whereas MVE × ML interactions did not show evidence of moderation. The measures concerned self-reported engagement and beliefs rather than objectively observed viewing, specific platforms, or algorithmic exposure. The cross-sectional estimates do not establish temporal ordering or causal mediation. Findings point to the value of examining how mediated romance is used as a comparison standard, while requiring independent replication of the study-specific measures.