Abstract:
his study assessed the relationship between technology usage and marital
conflicts in Jimma town. The research identified the nature of technology usage among
young married couples, determined technology usage and the appropriateness among
marital couples, conveyed the common causes of marital conflicts as a result of
technology usage and investigated the level of the extent of association between
technology usage and marital conflict. In the study, both quantitative and qualitative
research methods were used. The study employed simple random sampling to collect data
from 198 couples. In order to collect data, self prepared questionnaire and standardized
scales questionnaire and interview guide were employed as data collection instruments.
Descriptive data analysis methods such as tables, frequency, percentage and correlation
were used to analyze the gathered data with the help of IBM SPSS software version 20.
The value obtained from Pearson product moment correlation coefficient shows
facebook, mobile usage and television watch were having statistically significant positive
relationship with marital conflicts, r=.788, r=.642, and r=.63 respectively. The study
found that technology usage was appropriate in marital relationship but only when the
couples used technology in appropriate ways. The study also revealed that time spent on
those technologies, issues of trust between couples, money and the time when couples
have to use these technologies were the common causes of marital conflicts as a result of
technology usages. In line with the findings obtained it was recommended that different
organization such as welfare offices, NGOs and religious organizations should have to
assign trained family and marriage counselors and social workers.
