Partner Phubbing and Sleep Quality: Serial Mediation Models With Relationship Satisfaction and Perceived Stress

The increasing integration of technology into our lives has been affecting our daily routines and even our sleeps. Being a relatively new concept, phubbing refers to the act of overly engaging with one's phone while dismissing those around in the social settings. In this context, partner phubbing involves individuals exhibiting this neglect in the presence of their romantic partners. Evidence suggests that higher partner phubbing may lead to lower relationship satisfaction and higher perceived stress. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine whether relationship satisfaction and perceived stress mediate the relationship between partner phubbing and sleep quality. Four hundred twenty-three individuals (females = 78.5%, M_age = 29.19, SD = 6.87) participated in the study and completed the measures of partner phubbing, relationship satisfaction, perceived stress, and sleep quality. The results of the serial mediation analyses showed that partner phubbing was not a direct predictor of sleep quality. However, the relationship between partner phubbing and sleep quality was mediated by the four indirect paths through relationship satisfaction (β = 0.04, p < .05), perceived stress (β = 0.09, p < .05), relationship satisfaction-perceived stress (β = 0.02, p < .05), and perceived stress-relationship satisfaction (β = 0.00, p < .05). The findings suggest that partner phubbing may diminish sleep quality by reducing relationship satisfaction and increasing perceived stress levels. Alternatively, perceived stress exacerbated by partner phubbing could reduce relationship satisfaction, which eventually worsens sleep quality. Digital detox programs, group interventions, emotion-focused couple interventions, and stress management training can help overcome the effects of partner phubbing on sleep quality.