The Behavioral Inhibition System as a Mediator between Child Sexual Abuse and Perceived Pornography Addiction in Adulthood

Abstract

Worldwide, an estimated 12.7% of children have experienced child sexual abuse (CSA). CSA can lead to mental health, emotional, and behavioral consequences that often persist into adulthood such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, and maladaptive sexual functioning (e.g. sexual avoidance, compulsivity). Research suggests that CSA may lead to unhealthy pornography use, a form of maladaptive sexual functioning, in adulthood, though the psychological pathways governing this relationship are unexplored. In this study, 182 United States-based individuals (mean age 36.637 [SD = 11.333] years, 51.648% men) were surveyed using Amazon MTurk regarding CSA history and perceived cyberpornography addiction. Participants also completed the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ). We found that individuals who experienced CSA reported higher perceived cyberpornography addiction scores. Serial mediation model results indicated that the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) mediated the relationship between CSA and perceived cyberpornography addiction. The BIS is a dimension of the RST-PQ which resolves conflicts between the behavioral activation system (coordinates approach behaviors) and the flight-fight-freeze system (coordinates retreat behaviors) and is associated with trait anxiety. These findings contribute to the literature on the costs of CSA and identifies BIS sensitivity as a psychological system that can be targeted in therapeutic settings to reduce maladaptive engagement with pornography by CSA survivors.