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Too much time spent on the Internet is causing increasing friction between couples in Ireland, a marriage counselling service said Friday.
Some seven percent of couples seen by ACCORD, the Catholic Church's marriage care service, say too much time spent in cyberspace by one partner is their main problem, according to figures for the first half of this year.
John Farrelly, its director of counselling, said the problem had come virtually out of nowhere in the last three years.
The key areas causing conflict "are Internet gambling, infidelity and one partner spending too much time online rather than with their spouse and family," he said.
The statistics also highlight the increasing pressure of financial difficulties on couples in recession-hit Ireland.
In 2007, 20 percent of clients identified finances as a problem for their marriage and this rose to 31 percent in the first six months of this year.
"The recession continues to affect marriage and family, as people feel they are beginning to lose control of their lives," Farrelly said.
ACCORD, with 57 centres throughout the country, provides over 30,000 counselling sessions a year to couples.
