Predicting Marital Conflicts Based on Internet Pornography Use and Emotional Maturity in Married Students

Background: Married students, navigating the dual demands of academic pursuits and marital responsibilities, are particularly susceptible to relational discord. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the predictive roles of internet pornography use and emotional maturity in the occurrence of marital conflicts among this vulnerable population. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted during the 2023–2024 academic year on a convenience sample of 309 married university students in Shiraz, Iran. Data were gathered using the Marital Conflicts Questionnaire, the Internet Pornography Craving Questionnaire, and the Emotional Maturity Scale. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression model. Results: There was a significant positive correlation between internet pornography use and marital conflicts (r=0.58, P=0.001). Conversely, emotional maturity showed a significant negative correlation with marital conflicts (r=-0.57, P=0.001 for males; r=-0.56, P=0.001 for females). The regression model, incorporating age and marriage duration, explained 51.4% of the variance. Significant predictors were internet pornography use (β=0.44, P=0.001), emotional maturity (β=-0.43, P=0.001), and age (β=-0.12, P=0.03), but not marriage duration (β=-0.09, P=0.08). Younger participants (≤30 years) and those with shorter marriages (≤5 years) reported elevated conflicts. Conclusion: The results consistently demonstrate that internet pornography use is significantly linked to an increase in marital conflicts, whereas emotional maturity acts as a crucial protective factor, mitigating these conflicts. These findings highlight the imperative for developing educational and therapeutic interventions focused on fostering emotional skills and promoting responsible digital literacy among married students.