Investigating the Effect of Religious Values and Personality Traits on Marital Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Social Network Dependence
Subject Areas : Islamic positive psychologyzahra eyvazkhani 1 , seyyed Alireza Hooshi alsadat 2
1 - Department of General Psychology, Azad University, Semnan, Iran
2 -
Keywords: Religious Values, Personality Traits, Marital Satisfaction, Social Network Dependence, Mediation Analysis,
Abstract :
In the contemporary era, the widespread proliferation of social networks has impacted various dimensions of individual and interpersonal life, particularly marital relationships. The present study was designed to investigate the impact of religious values and personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness) on marital satisfaction, as well as to elucidate the mediating role of social network dependence in this relationship.
This research employed a descriptive-analytical method and is applied in purpose, conducted with a quantitative approach. The statistical population comprised married couples aged 20 to 45 in the city of Semnan, from which a sample of 385 individuals (193 couples) was selected using purposive-random sampling methods. For data collection, four standardized questionnaires were utilized: the Religious Values Questionnaire (Glasser & Biberman), the Personality Traits Questionnaire (Costa & McCrae), the Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire (Olson & Barnes), and the Social Network Dependence Questionnaire (Griffiths). Data were analyzed using SPSS software, employing regression and Sobel's test for mediation analysis.
The results of the analysis confirmed all four research hypotheses. Social network dependence was found to partially mediate the relationship between religious values, personality traits, and marital satisfaction. Specifically, social networks function as both a reinforcing mechanism for positive traits (extraversion, agreeableness, religious values) and an exacerbating factor for negative ones (neuroticism). The overall regression model successfully explained 40% of the variance in the marital satisfaction variable.
The findings of this study reveal the complex interaction of psychological, cultural, and technological factors in marital relationships. Consequently, the necessity of adopting multidimensional counseling approaches—aligned with personality dispositions, value systems, and patterns of digital dependency—is emphasized to enhance the quality of marital life.
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