Investigating the Relationship Between Dependence on Cyberspace and the Tendency to Commit Marital Infidelity in Divorce Applicants

Saghafi , Mina; Khanehkashi , Ali; Abolghasemi , Shahnam

Volume 15 - Articles-1404 MEJDS (2025) 15: 75 | Back to browse issues page

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Saghafi M, Khanehkashi A, Abolghasemi S. Investigating the Relationship Between Dependence on Cyberspace and the Tendency to Commit Marital Infidelity in Divorce Applicants. MEJDS 2025; 15 (0) :75-75
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3380-en.html

Investigating the Relationship Between Dependence on Cyberspace and the Tendency to Commit Marital Infidelity in Divorce Applicants

Mina Saghafi¹

, Ali Khanehkashi ^*²

, Shahnam Abolghasemi³

1- PhD Student in General Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon Branch, Mazandaran, Iran
2- Assistant Professor, Islamic Azad University, Behbahan, Khuzestan, Iran
3- Associate Professor, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon Branch, Mazandaran, Iran

Abstract: (1126 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: Divorce is a legal action taken by married people to end their marriage. One of the important variables in today's couples is dependence on virtual space. With the increasing development of electronic communication technologies, such as satellite and internet networks, and their impact on many social, cultural, political, and economic aspects, society has undergone fundamental changes. Obviously, computer addiction creates a series of emotional states that negatively affect thinking, and the rational and emotional brain cannot cope with them. Nowadays, divorce has gained a lot of speed in different societies and causes a lot of effects on society, the individual, and their children. Therefore, a comprehensive investigation of the factors involved in the occurrence and tendency of people to divorce should be conducted. On the other hand, today, the tendency towards cyberspace and marital infidelity in this space has involved many families in many problems. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between dependence on cyberspace and the tendency to commit marital infidelity in divorce applicants.
Methods: This study was analytical correlational. The statistical population of this research included all married people applying for divorce who referred to counseling and psychological centers in Sirjan City, Iran, in 2023. Of whom there were 170, and only 132 were willing to cooperate and entered the study. The sampling method was based on the available method. The inclusion criteria were as follows: being married, being between 25 and 40 years old, being seeking divorce, and having no history of psychiatric illness. The exclusion criterion was not completing the questionnaire during the study. Each person completed a consent form to participate in the study. Ethical issues should be considered at all stages of the study, from planning to implementation and publication. The researcher supervised the completion of the questionnaires. The scores of the dependence variable on cyber space were measured by the Addiction to Mobile Questionnaire Based on Social Networks (Khajeahmadi et al., 2016), and the variable of tendency to infidelity was measured by the Attitudes Toward Infidelity Scale (Whatley, 2008). Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test to identify the normality of data distribution and the Pearson correlation coefficient test in SPSS software version 22. The significance level of the tests was set at 0.05.
Results: Descriptive findings showed that among the participants in the present study, 61 individuals (46%) were male and 71 (54%) were female. Regarding age distribution, the highest frequency belonged to the 25–30 age group with 56 participants (42%), followed by the 30–35 age group with 47 participants (36%), and the 35–40 age group with 29 participants (22%). In terms of educational level, 22 participants (18%) had less than a high school diploma, 58 (43%) held a high school diploma, 40 (30%) had a bachelor's degree, 10 (8%) held a master's degree, and 2 (1%) had a doctoral degree. Inferential findings showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between dependence on cyberspace and the tendency to commit marital infidelity in divorce applicants (r=0.324, p<0.001).
Conclusion: According to the study results, the greater the dependence on cyberspace, the greater the tendency for marital infidelity among divorce applicants. Therefore, it is recommended that to reduce the tendency to marital infidelity, the dependency on cyberspace in divorce applicants should be reduced.

Keywords: Dependence on virtual space, Tendency to marital infidelity, Divorce

Full-Text [PDF 205 kb] (104 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology

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