The Relationship Between Technology Usage And Marital Conflicts Among Young Married Couples: The Case Of Jimma Town

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.