The Mediating Role of Rejection Sensitivity in Association between Dark Triad and Marital Distress

Dark traits are associated with marital distress, but the mechanisms of this relationship have not been clarified yet. The current study was conducted to investigate the mediating role of rejection sensitivity in the association between dark traits and marital distress. 

The method of the present study was descriptive-correlational. All of the couples of Rasht city in the summer of 2019 were constituted the statistical population of this study. Two hundred people from this statistical population were selected randomly via multistage random sampling and participated in this study. The instruments of Marital Taxon Self-Report Measure, the Short Version of Dark Triad Personality Traits, and Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire-adults version were used for collecting data. The collected data were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis and path analysis using SPSS23 and LISREL8.8.

The results showed that the dark traits (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and rejection sensitivity) have a positive and significant effect on marital distress. The results of the fitness indexes of the model also showed that rejection sensitivity can be mediated the relations between dark traits and marital distress.

The results of this study indicate that dark traits can be a risk factor for marital distress. Furthermore, they can affect marital distress indirectly via mediating rejection sensitivity. Therefore it is necessary to hold workshops to get acquainted with these personality traits. So people can make rational decisions before starting a relationship.