the digital dilemma: extramarital relationships in social networks and the mediating role of spirituality and religious attitudes

Background: the family unit is recognized as one of the five essential social structures. extramarital relationships pose a significant threat to this structure, leading to numerous issues and are regarded as a primary contributor to divorce. the rising incidence of extramarital relationships has led researchers to examine the underlying dynamics and contributing factors. this study aimed to explore the influence of social networks on extramarital relationships, with a particular focus on the mediating effects of spirituality and religious beliefs.methods: this study employed a descriptive-correlational design with a structural equation modeling approach. the statistical population included all married individuals aged 25 to 55 living in tehran, iran, who sought counseling services in two regions of tehran during 2023 due to issues related to extramarital affairs. using convenience sampling, a sample of 230 participants was selected based on the number of model components. data were collected using the attitude toward infidelity scale (whatley, 2006), the religious attitude questionnaire (glock and stark, 1965), the spiritual assessment inventory (hall and edwards, 1996), and jahanbani’s social networks questionnaire (2018). statistical analyses included pearson’s correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling, performed using spss version 26 and amos version 24. results: data from 230 participants, comprising 118 women (51.30%) and 112 men (48.69%) with a mean age of 38.55 years, were analyzed. results from the structural equation modeling indicated a significant positive correlation between social network usage and extramarital relationships (t=3.29, r=0.74). additionally, religious attitudes showed a significant negative correlation with extramarital relationships (t=1.39, r=-0.32), while spirituality was significantly positively correlated with extramarital relationships (t=1.20, r=0.49). furthermore, both spirituality and religious attitudes served as mediators in the relationship between virtual space usage and marital relationships (t=2.29, r=0.41; t=1.98, r=0.31).conclusion: given the inability to eliminate virtual environments and their influence on marital relationships, enhancing spirituality and religiosity may serve as an effective measure to prevent infidelity.