نویسندگان:

فاطمه کیامرزی¹ ، نیلوفر میکائیلی² ، شبنم درخشان³ ، محمد نریمانی⁴ .

¹کارشناسی ارشد روانشناسی بالینی، گروه روانشناسی، دانشکده علوم تربیتی و روانشناسی، دانشگاه محقق اردبیلی، اردبیل، ایران.

²دانشگاه محقق اردبیلی

³کارشناسی ارشد روانشناسی، گروه روانشناسی، دانشکده علوم تربیتی و روانشناسی، دانشگاه محقق اردبیلی، اردبیل، ایران.

⁴دانشگاه محقق اردبیلی، اردبیل، ایران

چکیده فارسی: طلاق عاطفی یکی از مهم‌ترین آسیب‌های خانوادگی است که پیامدهای فردی، خانوادگی و اجتماعی گسترده‌ای به‌همراه دارد، لذا پژوهش حاضر با هدف بررسی نقش اعتیاد به فضای مجازی و مثلث‌سازی در پیش‌بینی طلاق عاطفی با میانجی‌گری انتظارات زناشویی در شهر اردبیل انجام شد. پژوهش حاضر از نظر هدف، کاربردی و براساس ماهیت و روش، یک پژوهش توصیفی-پیمایشی از نوع همبستگی می‏باشد. جامعه‌ی آماری مورد مطالعه در این پژوهش والدین دانش آموزان مدارس ابتدایی شهر اردبیل در سال تحصیلی 1402-1401 بود. نمونه‌ اولیه 230 نفر به روش نمونه گیری خوشه‌ای انتخاب شدند. جهت جمع آوری اطلاعات از پرسشنامه‌های طلاق عاطفی (ED)، اعتیاد به اینترنت (IA)، انتظارات زناشویی و مثلث سازی استفاده گردید. داده‏های جمع آوری شده با استفاده از ضریب همبستگی پیرسون با کمک نرم افزار SPSS-24 و مدل‌یابی معادلات ساختاری (SEM) به وسیله نرم‌افزار Lisrel 8.8 مورد تجزیه و تحلیل قرار گرفت. یافته‌های پژوهش نشان داد بین اعتیاد به فضای مجازی (01/0>P؛ 58/0=r)، مثلث سازی (01/0>P؛ 54/0=r) و انتظارات زناشویی (01/0>P؛ 56/0-=r) با طلاق عاطفی والدین دانش آموزان ابتدایی ارتباط مستقیم و معنی‌دار برقرار است. نتایج حاصل از بررسی نقش میانجی‌گری انتظارات زناشویی نیز نشان داد که این متغیر میانجی‌گری معنی‌داری در رابطه بین طلاق عاطفی با اعتیاد به فضای مجازی و مثلث سازی دارد. بنابراین یافته های پژوهش نشان داد که افزایش اعتیاد به فضای مجازی و کاهش صمیمیت زوجین می‌تواند زمینه‌ساز طلاق عاطفی باشد؛ بنابراین، شناسایی عوامل زمینه‌ساز و حمایت از افراد در معرض خطر، می تواند در پیشگیری از این آسیب خانوادگی موثر باشد.

کلمات کلیدی: طلاق عاطفی ، انتظارات زناشویی ، اعتیادبه فضای مجازی ، مثلث‌سازی .

The Role of Virtual Space Addiction and Triangulation in Predicting Emotional Divorce: The Mediating Role of Marital Expectations

English Abstract: Introduction Marriage, as the foundation for family formation and raising the next generation, includes a fundamental relationship that enables the provision of the biological, psychological, and social needs of couples (Kazim & Rafique, 2021). Although marriage is no longer a social obligation, individuals seek a satisfying life together (Karney & Bradbury, 2020). Research has shown that marital satisfaction is related to the health and longevity of couples, and its key elements include commitment, love, understanding, and intimate communication (Manap et al., 2016). However, several factors can affect couples’ relationships and lead to emotional divorce, a process that begins with a gradual decrease in emotions and an increase in conflict and occurs even before legal divorce (Jarwan & Alferhat, 2020). One of the contributing factors to divorce is cyberspace addiction, where uncontrolled use of the Internet and social networks can negatively affect the quality of couples’ communication and reduce marital satisfaction (Lopez-Fernandez & Kuss, 2020; Nourbakhsh, 2019; Stvil et al., 2018). In addition, triangulation, as a family dynamic that introduces a third person into the relationship, can increase conflict and reduce intimacy (Bowen, 1978; Mcleod, 2023). Furthermore, marital expectations play a mediating role in the relationship between these variables and emotional divorce; inappropriate and unmet expectations can lead to dissatisfaction and a decrease in relationship quality (Vanier & Sullivan, 2017). Given the importance of these factors and the research gap in Iran, the present study aimed to investigate the roles of cyberspace addiction and triangulation in predicting emotional divorce through the mediation of marital expectations. The findings of this study can help achieve a deeper understanding of the emotional divorce process and design preventive interventions to improve marital relationships. Method The present study is a descriptive-correlational study to test a conceptual model through structural equation modeling. It is cross-sectional in terms of time and quantitative in terms of data type. The statistical population included parents of elementary school students in Ardabil in the academic year 2023-2024. Sampling was carried out using a multi-stage cluster method; educational districts, schools, and classes were selected randomly, respectively. The parents of the students were the final respondents. Considering the five to ten observations for each independent variable, the minimum sample size was estimated to be 200 individuals, and considering the possibility of non-response, 230 individuals were selected. The research instruments included the Emotional Divorce Questionnaire (Mohammadi et al., 2016) with 36 items in 9 dimensions, the Internet Addiction Questionnaire (Young, 1998) with 20 items, the Marital Expectations Questionnaire (Omidvar et al., 2007) with 32 items, and the Triangulation Questionnaire (Bahrami & Yousefi, 2017) with 16 items, all of which were scored on a five-point Likert scale. All questionnaires had appropriate validity and reliability; the overall reliability of the instruments was reported to be between 0.84 and 0.90 using Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation test and structural equation modeling. SPSS (version 24) and LISREL (version 8.8) were used for statistical analysis. All questionnaires were completed anonymously, and the principles of research ethics were observed. Findings In this study, 200 individuals (between the ages of 20 and 40) participated, of whom 73% were women (146) and 27% were men (54). The participants’ educational levels ranged from high school (39%) to PhD (2.5%), and their marital history ranged from 6 to 17 years. Descriptive analyses showed that the skewness and kurtosis of all variables, including emotional divorce, cyberspace addiction, marital expectations, and triangulation, were within the permissible range (-2 to 2) and had a normal distribution. Structural equation modeling had a good fit (CFI = 0.93, NFI = 0.91, GFI = 0.88, RMSEA = 0.075, χ²/df = 2.13). Direct effects showed that cyberspace addiction (β = 0.30, p < 0.001) and triangulation (β = 0.25, p < 0.001) had positive and significant effects, and marital expectations had a negative and significant effect on emotional divorce (β = -0.20, p < 0.05). Cyberspace addiction and triangulation also had negative and significant relationships with marital expectations. The Sobel test showed that marital expectations had a partial mediating role in the relationship between cyberspace addiction (VAF = 21%) and triangulation (VAF = 23%) with emotional divorce. Thus, these variables affected emotional divorce both directly and indirectly through marital expectations. Discussion The present study aimed to investigate the roles of cyberspace addiction and triangulation in predicting emotional divorce through the mediation of marital expectations. The findings showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between cyberspace addiction and emotional divorce, which is consistent with previous research (Abbasi, 2019; Adzaho et al., 2020; Alavi & Mahoor, 2022; Bahrani et al., 2018; Besra, 2020; Khajeh Noori & Naqshbandi, 2023; Nagshbandi et al., 2021; Parvaz et al., 2021; Valenzuela et al., 2014). Excessive use of social networks reduced intimacy, increased emotional tensions, and replaced real-life interactions between couples (Ahmed et al., 2021; Agbaria, 2021; Longstreet & Brooks, 2017). The findings also showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between triangulation and emotional divorce, which is consistent with previous research (Dehghani Sheshdhod & Yousefi, 2019; Kianipour, 2019; Vandijk et al., 2021, 2022). Triangulation, by involving a third party or using children as messengers, violated natural family boundaries and increased conflict and transfered emotional dependence to a third party (Baker & Eichler, 2014; Etkin et al., 2014; Kerig & Swanson, 2010). Moreover, marital expectations played a mediating role between cyberspace addiction and triangulation with emotional divorce. Reduced marital expectations due to excessive use of cyberspace and triangulation led to dissatisfaction, emotional distance, and an increased likelihood of emotional divorce (Andreassen & Pallesen, 2014; Rhoades et al., 2009; Rothman, 2017). Failure to meet expectations discouraged couples and reduced their motivation to fulfill marital roles, leading to conflict and emotional separation (Miller & Tedder, 2011). Overall, the findings indicated that controlling cyberspace addiction, reducing triangulation, and managing marital expectations can prevent emotional divorce. It is recommended that preventive interventions such as counseling and family education be implemented. Acknowledgements The authors thank the participants and school staff in Ardabil for their cooperation and assistance during the research. Conflict of Interest No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.