“Technoference”: The interference of technology in couple relationships and implications for women’s personal and relational well-being.
Abstract
Technology use has proliferated in family life; everyday intrusions and interruptions due to technology devices, which we term “technoference,” will likely occur. We examine the frequency of technoference in romantic relationships and whether these everyday interruptions relate to women’s personal and relational well-being. Participants were 143 married/cohabiting women who completed an online questionnaire. The majority perceived that technology devices (such as computers, cell or smartphones, or TV) frequently interrupted their interactions, such as couple leisure time, conversations, and mealtimes, with their partners. Overall, participants who rated more technoference in their relationships also reported more conflict over technology use, lower relationship satisfaction, more depressive symptoms, and lower life satisfaction. We tested a structural equation model of technoference predicting conflict over technology use, which then predicted relationship satisfaction, which finally predicted depression and life satisfaction. By allowing technology to interfere with or interrupt conversations, activities, and time with romantic partners—even when unintentional or for brief moments—individuals may be sending implicit messages about what they value most, leading to conflict and negative outcomes in personal life and relationships.
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Recent research suggests that phubbing can negatively impact others across interactions between friends, romantic partners, and parents and children.
“Research in this area has suggested that phubbing can negatively impact others across interactions between friends [45], romantic partners [46,47], and parents and children [48,49,50].”
From The effects of smartphones on well-being: theoretical integration and research agenda (2020) · cites this paper as [47]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- McDaniel, B. T., & Coyne, S. M.
- Affiliations
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Venue
- Psychology of Popular Media Culture
- Published
- 2016-01
- Volume
- 5
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 85-98
- ISSN
- 2160-4134 (ISSN-L)
- 2160-4142
- OpenAlex
- W2110446532
- Cited by
- 643
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 81 · 2025: 74 · 2024: 70 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 82 · 2021: 79 · 2020: 64 · 2019: 53 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 3
- FWCI
- 16.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychology of Popular Media Culture (publishedVersion)
- ScholarsArchive (Brigham Young University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- technoference, couple relationships, married women, relationship satisfaction, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, family technology use, romantic relationships
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