The Dark Tetrad traits and problematic social media use: The mediating role of cyberbullying and cyberstalking

The Dark Tetrad traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, sadism) are associated with antisocial online behaviors. However, the mediating role of these behaviors between the Dark Tetrad and problematic social media use (PSMU) is unclear. Among a sample of 761 participants, we investigated direct and indirect associations of the Dark Tetrad traits with PSMU via cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and cybertrolling. Multiple mediation analyses demonstrated cyberbullying and cyberstalking fully mediated the relationship between Machiavellianism and PSMU in the total sample and among men. Narcissism was indirectly associated with PSMU via cyberstalking in the total sample and among women. The relationship between sadism and PSMU was fully explained by cyberbullying and cyberstalking in the total sample. Cybertrolling was associated with sadism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, although it was not related to PSMU. We suggest that antisocial online behaviors may provide an explanation for the relationship between dark personality traits and PSMU with different behaviors mediating different traits among men and women.