Pornography diversity: A latent class analysis of pornography users in committed relationships

Abstract

While an increasing amount of scholarship has focused on the relationships between pornography use and well-being, most of this research has conceptualized and measured the frequency of pornography use as a single continuum ranging from no use to compulsive use without considering how other contextual factors may impact patterns of use and associations with well-being. Using a sample of 3710 individuals in committed relationships, we explored how various components of pornography use and attitudes toward pornography might be used to create unique profiles of pornography users. We found evidence of six different profiles of users, primarily distinguished based on the frequency of pornography use across varying content types and the configuration of pornography use within their romantic partnership. An exploration of demographic differences between profiles suggested that those who generally abstained from pornography were often older and in longer relationships than those in other profiles. In addition, those who abstained from pornography use both individually and with their romantic partner generally reported the best individual and relational well-being after controlling for a wide range of potentially confounding factors. Those in the Partner Use profile, a group characterized by individuals who generally avoided pornography but had romantic partners who regularly used pornography, were the most likely to report the lowest individual well-being and relationship quality.