THE AMOUNT OF time spent browsing the internet is the fastest growing area of difficulty for Irish couples, according to marriage care service Accord.

Texting on mobile phones is also seen as a problem in many relationships, with 28 per cent of those in counselling citing it as an issue.

The revelations come as Accord releases its data for 2011, a 12-month period which saw a 12 per cent increase in demand for its counselling services.

During the year, the Catholic organisation delivered 49,000 counselling sessions. Of those, a large majority (65 per cent) were experiencing financial difficulties.

Irish families remain under intense pressure because of unemployment, mortgage difficulties, negative equity, increased taxation and rising fuel costs, according to Accord.

Separately, about 7,000 couples attended marriage preparation courses.

Domestic Violence counselling remains a priority for the group and a new programme for working with perpetrators and victims is also complete.

This initiative will form the basis for the selection and training of new domestic violence counsellors and ongoing training for current domestic violence counsellors.

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