Other-Oriented Perfectionism and Romantic Relationship Stress: The Role of Social Media Use Among Italians

Abstract

The present study examines the associations between other-oriented perfectionism and individual stress within romantic relationships, focusing on the intervening role of social media use as a relational context. Data were collected through an online survey administered via a snowball sampling procedure to a sample of 455 Italian adults aged 19 to 65 years. Using mediation analyses with relevant demographic and relational covariates (age, gender, relationship duration, education level, and sexual orientation), results indicated that higher levels of other-oriented perfectionism were positively associated with greater social media use. In turn, increased social media use was associated with higher levels of stress within romantic relationships. Other-oriented perfectionism also showed a significant direct association with relationship stress, indicating a pattern consistent with partial mediation. Age and relationship duration were significantly associated with social media use, whereas gender and relationship duration were significantly associated with relationship stress. Education level and sexual orientation were not significantly related to relationship stress. Overall, the findings suggest that social media use represents a relevant contextual process through which perfectionistic tendencies oriented toward the partner are linked to relational stress, highlighting the importance of considering digitally mediated interactions in the study of contemporary romantic relationships.