Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Phd student, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
2
Professor, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
10.22098/jpc.2026.19616.1374
Abstract
Aim: This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of communication skills in the relationship between phubbing and marital intimacy among couples in Neka city.
Method: The research method was a descriptive correlational research with a structural equation approach. The statistical population included all couples in Neka city, from which a sample of 150 couples was selected using the convenience sampling method. To collect research data, Barton's Communication Skills Questionnaire (1998), Chotpitayasunondh and Douglas's Phubbing Questionnaire (2018), and Thompson and Walker's Marital Intimacy Questionnaire (1983) were used. Descriptive statistics methods (frequency, mean, standard deviation, and normality of data) were used to analyze the data in SPSS version 26, and path analysis method via SmartPLS was employed to examine model fit.
Result: The results of data analysis indicated that the GOF, NFI, and SRMR indices were in a favorable state, and the conceptual model of the research had a good and desirable fit. Phubing has a negative and significant effect on marital intimacy (β = -0.65, p < 0.001), phubbing had a negative and significant effect on communication skills (β = -0.51, p < 0.001), communication skills have a positive and significant effect on marital intimacy (β = 0.56, p < 0.001), and communication skills also play a mediating role in the relationship between phubing and marital intimacy (β = 0.56, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The findings show that communication skills play a key role in couples' marital intimacy and mediate the effects of phubbing. Therefore, paying attention
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