Dark personality, marital quality, and marital instability of Chinese couples: An actor-partner interdependence mediation model

The dark triad traits and relationship satisfaction: Dyadic response surface analysis

OBJECTIVE

The current study investigated actor and partner effects and the effects of (dis)similarity in the dark triad traits on self-reported relationship satisfaction of both members of romantic couples. We examined these effects on actual similarity, similarity of perception, and men's and women's perceived similarity.

METHODS

On the sample of 205 heterosexual romantic couples, we administered questionnaires for measuring self-reported and partner-reported psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism, as well as self-reported relationship satisfaction. For analyzing data, we used dyadic response surface analysis.

RESULTS

The results corroborated our hypotheses that the dark triad traits exerted mainly negative actor and partner effects on both partners' relationship satisfaction. The effects of (dis)similarity were obtained for psychopathy and narcissism. Dissimilarity in psychopathy was related to lower men's relationship satisfaction. Dissimilarity in narcissism was related to lower, whereas similarity in this trait to higher relationship satisfaction of both partners. Generally, our findings were similar across methods and sources of assessment.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that the DT traits of both members of a romantic couple matter for judgments of their relationship satisfaction and that along with actor and partner effects, the effects of (dis)similarity in psychopathy and narcissism also contribute to their relationship satisfaction.

Marital quality improves self- and partner-reported psychopathy among Chinese couples: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Psychopathy is closely related to many negative interpersonal outcomes in daily life, including violence. Therefore, psychopathy intervention in subclinical individuals has significant application value.

OBJECTIVE

Guided by the personality-relationship transaction model and social investment theory, this study examined how marital quality affects self- and partner-rated psychopathy. We also used the actor-partner interdependence mediation model to explore the mediating effect of communication.

METHODS

We examined self-reports and partner reports of psychopathy, marital quality, and communication among 260 married Chinese couples.

RESULTS

The results indicated that marital quality directly influenced couples' self-rated psychopathy, with both actor and partner effects on husbands' psychopathy and actor effects on wives' psychopathy. Moreover, verbal communication had mediating effects at time 2 between marital quality at time 1 and partner-reported psychopathy at time 3. Meanwhile, the mediating effect of nonverbal communication was not significant.

CONCLUSION

Our investigation of relationship effects on psychopathy revealed that the underlying mechanisms differed between self- and partner-rated psychopathy. The findings can highlight directions for exploring potential intervention strategies for subclinical psychopathy.

Perceptual similarity of psychopathy and marital quality in Chinese married couples: The mediating role of couple communication

Previous studies have shown that psychopathy, one of the Dark Triad personality traits, is associated with relationship dissatisfaction. However, the similarity of psychopathy among romantic couples remains uncertain with regard to relationship outcomes. This study examined the effect of the perceptual similarity of psychopathy on marital quality in a sample of 245 heterosexual married couples, using intraclass correlation coefficients as the method for assessing couples' similarity. This study also explored the possible mediating role of couple communication based on the Actor-Partner Interdependence model. The results reveal that husbands' self-rating and wives' partner-rating of psychopathy showed negative effects on marital quality, whereas wives' perceptual similarity of psychopathy exerted both actor and partner effects on marital quality via couple communication. The current study enriches the theoretical framework of personality and relationship outcomes and emphasizes the importance of communication in a close relationship.

When the Partner's Reality Bites: Associations Between Self- and Partner Ratings of Psychopathic Traits, Relationship Quality and Conflict Tactics

The present study examined associations of self- and partner-reported psychopathic traits, as well as the level of agreement between these reports (perceptual accuracy), with relationship quality, and the moderating role of violent and non-violent conflict tactics. Participants were 259 heterosexual couples from the community. Results indicated that, despite moderate convergence between self- and partner-reports, the female partners tended to underreport the levels of psychopathic traits in their male partner. Relationship quality was negatively associated with partner-reported and, albeit to a lesser extent, self-reported psychopathic traits. Contrary to expectations, perceptual accuracy was barely associated with relationship quality. Whereas no evidence was found for the moderating role of aggressive conflict tactics, non-violent negotiation seemed to buffer the effect of psychopathic traits on relationship quality. The study highlights the importance of considering the partner's perceptions as well as constructive conflict tactics when examining psychopathic traits in intimate relationships.

A Study on Intergenerational Transmission of Dark Triad and Emotion Reactivity

Introduction

Moderate emotion reactivity in the face of daily stress is of positive significance regarding individuals' psychological well-being and environmental adaptation. The study on intergenerational transmission of Dark Triad and emotion reactivity has confirmed the existence of higher levels of Dark Triad and emotion reactivity in college students in the Chinese sample, which may provide a reference for future related studies.

Purpose

The study examined the intergenerational transmission effects of Dark Triad and Emotion Reactivity in families. And based on this, it further analyzed the mediating role of parental emotion reactivity and children's Dark Triad in the influence of parental Dark Triad on children's emotion reactivity.

Methods

The questionnaire was administered to 486 families inclusive of fathers, mothers, and children utilizing the Emotion Reactivity Scale (ERS) and the Dirty Dozen (DD).

Results

1) The intergenerational transmission was presented in the three Dark Triad traits and emotion reactivity. 2) The level of Dark Triad and emotion reactivity of children was remarkably higher than that of their parents. 3) The Dark Triad scores of males were considerably higher than those of females, while there were no significant differences in the scores of emotion reactivity between them. 4) The actor and partner effects of Dark Triad and emotion reactivity between father and mother were established. 5) Parental emotion reactivity and children's Dark Triad exerted mediating effects on the impact of parental Dark Triad on children's emotion reactivity.

Conclusion

The effect of parental three Dark Triad on their children's emotion reactivity as well as its mediation mechanism were examined respectively by the present study in the light of APIM and intergenerational transmission analysis. It was concluded that the findings carried both theoretical and reference value for developing moderate emotion reactive ability toward college students.

Relationship between Chinese middle-aged and old couples' Confucian coping thinking and marital quality

Objective

Drawing on the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM), the present study investigated the relationship between Chinese middle-aged and old couples' Confucian coping thinking and their marital quality in the hope to provide a theoretical basis for ameliorating marital quality.

Methods

With 744 middle-aged and old couples as participants, the Confucian Coping Questionnaire (CCQ) and the Quality of Marriage Index (QMI) were employed to probe the relationship between responsibility thinking (RT), pro-setback thinking (PT), fate thinking (FT), and marital quality.

Results

Husbands' and wives' scores in responsibility thinking and pro-setback thinking had significantly positive correlations with their own and their spouses' scores in marital quality, respectively, and husbands' and wives' scores in fate thinking had significantly negative correlations with their own and their spouses' marital quality, respectively. Husbands' responsibility thinking, pro-setback thinking, and fate thinking had a significant actor effect. Husbands' responsibility thinking and fate thinking had a significant partner effect. Wives' responsibility thinking, pro-setback thinking, and fate thinking had a significant actor effect. Wives' responsibility thinking and pro-setback thinking had a significant partner effect.

Conclusion

From the perspective of dyadic relationships, the present study found that responsibility thinking and pro-setback thinking could positively predict marital quality, while pro-setback thinking could negatively predict marital quality.

Dark personality and intimate partner relationships in young adults

People with dark personality traits tend to be unsympathetic, manipulative, and violent, and this can affect their intimate partner relationships. The objective of this research is to analyze how the presence of the dark personality traits affects young people's intimate couple relationships. Sociodemographic variables, sexual practices, and tendencies towards the partner, moral disengagement (PMD), and the dark personality traits were assessed in 308 participants, all of them aged between 18 and 25, of whom 78.3% were women and 21.2% were men. Men obtained higher scores than women both in moral disengagement and dark personality traits, as did people who were unfaithful or who consumed pornographic content, which conditions the quality of couple relationships. Consistent with this, men with higher levels of dark personality traits and higher use of a moral disengagement mechanism also presented a greater tendency towards infidelity, especially repeated infidelity. Infidelity is highly related to the presence of dark personality traits, unrestricted socio-sexuality, and having more sexual partners. These results aid in the design of interventions to prevent sexual harassment and abuse in young people and their intimate partner relationships.

Leaving without a word: Ghosting and the Dark Triad traits

Researchers have extensively explored the early and middle stages of romantic and sexual relationships for those high on the Dark Triad traits (i.e., psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) but they have generally missed the termination stage of relationships. In this study we examined (N = 341) the role these traits play in one termination strategy, ghosting. Ghosting is when a person discontinues a relationship through silence; it is considered an indirect form of relationship termination. We found that (1) those who reported ghosting someone in the past (vs. those who did not) found ghosting to be acceptable and were more Machiavellian and psychopathic, (2) ghosting was most acceptable in the short-term (vs. long-term) context especially for those who had previously ghosted someone, and (3) those high in the Dark Triad traits rated ghosting more acceptable to terminate short-term relationships, but not long-term ones. We also found that the correlations between acceptability and ghosting short-term partners and the Dark Triad traits was localized to narcissistic men with a similar-yet-weak effect for psychopathy. Results are discussed in relation to how ghosting may be primarily committed by people who are interested in casual sex where investment is low and may be part of the fast life history strategies linked to the Dark Triad traits.