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<p>Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) is increasingly recognised as a significant public health concern, with harmful consequences on individuals’ personal, social, and occupational functioning. This growing issue raises a cogent debate about the psychological factors driving compulsive, unregulated engagement with social media platforms. This study investigated how the Dark Tetrad (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism) is associated with PSMU through the sequential mediating effect of jealousy (cognitive, emotional, and behavioural) and cyberstalking. A sample of 300 adults (M<sub>age</sub> = 36.19, SD<sub>age</sub> = 10.80; 80% F) participated in a cross-sectional online survey. Results indicated that cognitive and behavioural jealousy – but not emotional jealousy – and cyberstalking sequentially mediated the relationship between the Dark Tetrad and PSMU. These findings identify the psychological pathways through which maladaptive, aversive, and “darker” personality traits lead to compulsive and unregulated social media use by fostering intrusive emotional thoughts, controlling behaviours, and surveillance tendencies. Theoretical and clinical implications as well as limitations are discussed.</p>

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The sequential mediating role of jealousy and cyberstalking in the relationship between the dark tetrad and problematic social media use

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月9日

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  • Marco Giancola,
  • Elisa Galli,
  • Massimiliano Palmiero

摘要

Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) is increasingly recognised as a significant public health concern, with harmful consequences on individuals’ personal, social, and occupational functioning. This growing issue raises a cogent debate about the psychological factors driving compulsive, unregulated engagement with social media platforms. This study investigated how the Dark Tetrad (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism) is associated with PSMU through the sequential mediating effect of jealousy (cognitive, emotional, and behavioural) and cyberstalking. A sample of 300 adults (Mage = 36.19, SDage = 10.80; 80% F) participated in a cross-sectional online survey. Results indicated that cognitive and behavioural jealousy – but not emotional jealousy – and cyberstalking sequentially mediated the relationship between the Dark Tetrad and PSMU. These findings identify the psychological pathways through which maladaptive, aversive, and “darker” personality traits lead to compulsive and unregulated social media use by fostering intrusive emotional thoughts, controlling behaviours, and surveillance tendencies. Theoretical and clinical implications as well as limitations are discussed.