Introduction: The use of social media networks has become increasingly prevalent among individuals across diverse populations. Previous studies have demonstrated a significant association between dark personality traits and addiction to social media platforms; however, few have examined the mediating effects of marital intimacy in this relationship. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of marital intimacy in the relationship between dark personality traits and social media addiction among married women in Tehran.
Method: This descriptive correlational study recruited 410 married women aged 25–50 years from Tehran using purposive sampling. The research instruments included the Thompson and Walker Marital Intimacy Questionnaire, the Social Media Addiction Questionnaire by Khajeh Ahmadi et al., and the Dark Personality Scale by Jennison and Webster. Relationships among variables were examined using Spearman correlation tests, and the research model was analyzed through structural equation modeling using Smart PLS version 3.
Results: Based on the findings, marital intimacy was confirmed as a mediating factor between social media addiction and psychopathy, but this mediating role was rejected for narcissism and Machiavellianism. The results also indicated that among dark personality traits, narcissism showed the strongest positive significant relationship with social media addiction (β = 0.456), while psychopathy showed the weakest (β = 0.107). In addition, a significant negative relationship was found between psychopathy and marital intimacy (β = −0.36; p < 0.05). No significant relationship was observed between narcissism or Machiavellianism and marital intimacy.
Discussion and Conclusion: These findings suggest that psychopathy significantly influences social media addiction among women, with marital intimacy acting as a mediating factor. Mental health professionals should consider the implications of dark personality traits for marital relationships and their potential contribution to social media addiction.