Developing a Causal Model of Marital Relationship Quality Based on Dark Personality Traits and Communication Beliefs with the Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation in Men

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Marital relationship quality is considered one of the most important indicators of family well-being and life satisfaction and is influenced by cognitive, personality, and emotional factors. The present study aimed to investigate a causal model of marital relationship quality based on dark personality traits and communication beliefs with the mediating role of emotion regulation among men attending counseling centers in Shiraz.

Methodology: This study employed a descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population consisted of all married men referring to counseling centers in Shiraz in 2023, from whom 250 participants were selected through multistage cluster random sampling. Research instruments included the Marital Relationship Quality Questionnaire developed by Busby et al., the Dark Personality Traits Scale by Jonason and Webster, the Relationship Beliefs Questionnaire by Epstein and Eidelson, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire by Gross and John. Data were analyzed using SPSS-23 and SmartPLS-4 software, and SEM was applied to examine the relationships among variables.

Findings: The findings indicated that communication beliefs negatively predicted marital relationship quality through cognitive reappraisal (β=-0.333, p<0.001). Communication beliefs also showed a positive and significant effect on marital relationship quality through expressive suppression (β=0.147, p=0.003). Dark personality traits negatively predicted marital relationship quality through cognitive reappraisal (β=-0.111, p<0.001), whereas the indirect effect through expressive suppression was not significant (β=-0.001, p=0.962). Furthermore, model fit indices supported the adequacy of the structural model, and the GOF index was 0.749, indicating strong model fit.

Conclusion: The results demonstrated that emotion regulation plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between dark personality traits, communication beliefs, and marital relationship quality. Dysfunctional communication beliefs and dark personality traits may reduce marital relationship quality by weakening adaptive emotion regulation strategies. Therefore, interventions focused on modifying communication beliefs and improving emotion regulation skills may enhance marital relationship quality among married men.