Pornography Consumption Research Articles

Sexual violence experiences and pornography media exposure with sexual risk behavior among PLWHA MSM in Bandung, Indonesia.

BackgroundHIV number continues to increase, especially among the minority of Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) due to the high risks of their sexual behavior. This study aims to identify the correlation between sexual violence experiences and pornography media exposure to sexual risk behavior among people with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) MSM.Design and MethodThe study employed a cross-sectional design with the consecutive sampling technique and involved 258 PLWHA MSM under the guidance of an NGO in Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia. The data were collected by employing an online questionnaire.ResultThe results show that there is a significant correlation between sexual violence experiences and sexual risk behavior (p-value = 0.000, α = 0.05; OR = 6.496), pornography media exposure and sexual risk behavior (p-value = 0.000, α = 0.05; OR = 4.271). The multivariate analysis of multiple logistics regression results reveals that the sexual violence experience is the factor that mostly influences the sexual risk behavior among PLWHA MSM (p-value = 0.000, α = 0.05; OR = 3.784).ConclusionsThe sexual violence experiences and pornography media exposure have a significant positive relationship to sexual risk behavior. Therefore, nurses need to improve a comprehensive assessment, counseling, and personal education to reduce sexual risk behavior that can transmit HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and create innovations through positive activities to reduce pornography consumption.

Pornography Consumption and Condomless Sex among Emerging U.S. Adults: Results from Six Nationally Representative Surveys

ABSTRACT Using six samples of unmarried U.S. residents aged 18–24 who were part of a larger biennial nationally representative survey (2008–2018), the present study examined whether pornography consumption is a risk factor for condomless sex during emerging adulthood. Condomless sex is the norm in popular, commonly consumed, pornography. Further, emerging adulthood is a time of heightened sexual experimentation and risk taking, and many emerging adults view pornography. Consistent with a sexual scripting perspective on media processes and effects, emerging adults who viewed pornography were more likely to have condomless sex than their peers who did not consume pornography. The link between pornography use and condomless sex was similar for men and women, white youth and youth of color, as well as heterosexual and LGB youth. The link was not moderated by age. Further, the link was robust even when indicators of both sexual and nonsexual sensation seeking predilections were included in analyses. These results are consistent with recent suggestions from public health experts that sex education programs need to include modules on pornography literacy.

Factors associated with the perpetration of interpersonal violence and abuse in young people’s intimate relationships

ABSTRACT This paper examines individual, peer and societal factors associated with young people’s instigation of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, including abuse and control through new technologies, in their intimate relationships. The mixed-method research included a survey of 4564 young people aged 14–17 across five European countries. Young people's advisory groups were convened in each country to work alongside the research teams. Across the European sample, 38% of boys and 45% of girls stated they engaged in some form of emotional violence, 10% of girls and 6% of boys reported the use of physical violence and 20% of boys and 4% of girls reported using sexual violence (pressure and/or physical force). A range of intersecting factors, including wider experiences of violence and abuse, gendered attitudes and consumption of online pornography, were associated with the use of intimate violence, although these differed by gender. The research provides new European insights through measuring the association with three discrete forms of IPVA as well as exploring perpetration by both males and females. A Prevention and intervention programmes seeking to respond to violence in young people’s relationships need to develop effective strategies to address the interplay of these factors across young people’s lives.

Casual Condomless Sex, Range of Pornography Exposure, and Perceived Pornography Realism

Pornography consumption is becoming more prevalent and may be a source of sexual learning for some users. Because popular male-female pornography rarely includes condoms, communication researchers have hypothesized that pornography use increases the likelihood of condomless sex in mixed sex encounters. A recent meta-analysis supported this prediction, but was unable to report on psychological moderators of the association due to a dearth of contingency-oriented research. The present study reports findings on U.S. adults’ exposure to pornography, perceptions of pornography’s realism, and casual condomless sex. Despite theory positing that realism perceptions moderate the relationship between sexual media use and sexual behavior, very few studies have tested pornography exposure x perceived realism interactions in general, and no previous inquiry appears to have tested this interaction in the context of pornography exposure and condom use. Results indicated that a higher range of exposure was associated with a higher likelihood of condomless sex when perceptions of pornography’s realism were high. Conversely, when perceptions of pornography’s realism were low, range of exposure was unrelated to the likelihood of condomless sex. These results were not moderated by age or gender. These findings are part of a growing literature suggesting the importance of media literacy education directed specifically at pornography.

Psychological and Forensic Challenges Regarding Youth Consumption of Pornography: A Narrative Review

Nowadays, technology has become part of the daily activities of a large part of the population. Many of the activities and development and socialization processes of minors and young people have been transferred to the online world, generating attention and concern from the educational, scientific, and forensic communities. One of the most worrying issues derived from this new online world is the consumption of pornography by teens. The objective of this literature review is to draw attention to the consequences and emotional disturbances derived from the consumption of pornography in young people, as well as the forensic implications of this phenomenon, among which are paraphilias, perpetration, and victimization of sexual assaults, and the development of new forms of online sexual victimization. The main findings suggest that the first contact with pornography starts at the age of 8 years old, with important behavioral and psychological consequences, such as hypersexualization, emotional disturbances, and the perpetuation of gender inequality. Furthermore, pornography consumption by youth has been linked to the exacerbation of paraphilias, an increase in sexual aggression perpetration and victimization, and, finally, it has been linked to an increase in online sexual victimization. Implications and future lines of research are discussed.

Sexual incentive delay in the scanner: Sexual cue and reward processing, and links to problematic porn consumption and sexual motivation.

Background and aimsThe use of pornography, while unproblematic for the majority, can grow into addiction-like behavior which in its extreme form is labeled as compulsive sexual behavioral disorder in the ICD-11 (WHO, 2018). The aim of this study was to investigate the addiction-specific reactivity to cues in order to better understand underlying mechanisms in the development of this disorder.MethodsWe have used an optimized Sexual Incentive Delay Task to study brain activity in reward associated brain areas during an anticipation phase (with cues predicting pornographic videos, control videos or no videos) and a corresponding delivery phase in healthy men. Correlations to indicators of problematic pornography use, the time spent on pornography use, and trait sexual motivation were analyzed.ResultsThe results of 74 men showed that reward-related brain areas (amygdala, dorsal cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, thalamus, putamen, caudate nucleus, and insula) were significantly more activated by both the pornographic videos and the pornographic cues than by control videos and control cues, respectively. However, we found no relationship between these activations and indicators of problematic pornography use, time spent on pornography use, or with trait sexual motivation.Discussion and conclusionsThe activity in reward-related brain areas to both visual sexual stimuli as well as cues indicates that optimization of the Sexual Incentive Delay Task was successful. Presumably, associations between reward-related brain activity and indicators for problematic or pathological pornography use might only occur in samples with increased levels and not in a rather healthy sample used in the present study.

Women and Pornography: A Voyeuristic Perspective With Special Reference to Coimbatore

Tamil Nadu is an Indian state with different cultural trends in marriage, including endogamy, post-marital residence, spousal differences in age and education, and the extent of women’s say in the timing of marriage and choosing a partner, and disbursal of dowries. Even today, sex remains a topic of controversy, linked to immoral and voyeuristic values, especially in a patriarchal heteronormative society. With limited research available on the experiences of women watching porn, the researchers attempted to know and understand how the women of Coimbatore viewed pornography, simply from a voyeuristic perspective. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 women (natives and residents of Coimbatore), from diversified backgrounds. Discussions related to porn consumption, meanings, risks, dangers, experiences, and pleasures associated with it were initiated. The findings of the study offered basic insights into the topics discussed, which may be helpful in normalizing women’s experiences, thus promoting a healthier and more open discourse about pornography consumption among Coimbatore women.

Why Do People Watch Porn? An Evolutionary Perspective on the Reasons for Pornography Consumption.

We investigated the reasons for pornography consumption using a bottom-up approach (i.e., open-ended questionnaire) and proposed that those reasons would reflect a short-term mating orientation of individuals that watch pornography and a strategy that should help them to attract or maintain potential mates easier (i.e., a fitness increasing strategies) by enhancing their sexual knowledge through pornography watching. In Study 1 (N = 276), relying on an open-ended questionnaire and a content analysis, we identified 78 reasons for why people claim to consume pornography. In Study 2 (N = 322), we grouped those reasons into categories using a series of factor analyses, resulting in four dimensions of reasons for watching pornography: (1) increased sex drive, (2) enhancing sexual performance, (3) social and instrumental reasons, and (4) lack of relational and emotional skills. The content of these factors supported the idea that the reasons for consuming pornography are reflections of a short-term mating orientation and a way to enhance their sexual knowledge and performance. Individuals with higher scores on the dimensions of reasons for pornography consumptions had higher scores on the Dark Triad traits and sociosexuality, mate-value and slow life history strategies (in the case of enhancing sexual performance dimension). In Study 3 (N = 327), we tested to what extent the factorial structure of the reasons for pornography consumption can be confirmed via Confirmatory factor analysis and tested the convergent validity of the reasons to consume pornography.

The relationship between consumption of pornography and sexual pleasure: results of a mixed-method systematic review

ABSTRACT A systematic review of literature on the relationship between consumption of pornography and sexual pleasure found two approaches. One examines masturbatory pleasure produced by engagement with pornography and finds that both men and women take pleasure from pornography consumption (although for women, in particular, this can create conflicting reactions). A second, more dominant, approach investigates whether pornography consumption is associated with subsequent sexual pleasure with a partner. It is notable that even in a sample of articles curated to understand pleasure, there is more research into satisfaction than pleasure and, in particular, relationship satisfaction.

Internet and Pornography Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Presumed Impact and What Can Be Done.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause an immense psychosocial strain worldwide. Excessive use of the internet during these psychologically trying times, fueled by physical isolation as a result of lockdowns, has translated into dysfunctional behaviors. A growing body of evidence suggests an unprecedented increase in internet use and consumption of online pornography during the pandemic, and possibly even directly caused by it. In this review, the authors report data from relevant sources to show the rise in pornography use during lockdowns in different countries worldwide. In addition to a brief overview of the neurobiology of internet addiction broadly and problematic online pornography use specifically, similarities with substance use disorders are explained. Further, the current status of the debate about defining diagnostic criteria is discussed. Finally, the review sheds light on the potential detrimental outcomes during the future post-pandemic “re-adaptation,” while simultaneously offering preventative and management strategies for harm reduction. The authors conclude that foresightedness with utilizing existing tools and therapies and exercising appropriate amounts of caution could go a long way in addressing the challenges that lie ahead in the post-pandemic era.

Image-Based Sexual Abuse: Social and Legal Implications

Widely referred to as either “revenge porn” or “nonconsensual sharing of sexual imagery,” image-based sexual abuse targets millions of people around the world and causes much harm. This article covers the current state of social scientific knowledge on this key variant of digitized sexual violence and suggests new directions in empirical work. A rapidly growing body of research shows that image-based sexual abuse is committed mainly by men against women and it often co-occurs with offline forms of male-to-female assaults like rape, stalking, and beatings. Additionally, to further understand the scope of factors that contribute to the problems of online image-based sexual abuse online, researchers should examine the relationship between image-based sexual abuse and pornography consumption. Future studies should be specially designed to test theories that prioritize the concepts of gender, power, control, and patriarchy. Further, despite the creation of new legislation aimed at curbing image-based sexual abuse, the criminal justice system’s response has, thus far, been woefully inadequate. Hence, additional means of prevention and control are necessary. A multidisciplinary approach may involve mental health and sexual wellness awareness campaigns that include ethical behaviors in a digital space. Also, clinical assessment and treatment may be part of creating long-term changes at individual, interpersonal, and societal levels with psychosexual education that investigates core beliefs and harmful operating systems that facilitate image-based sexual abuse. Moreover, testing and providing empirically validated treatments for those who experienced sexual trauma and those who perpetrated and consumed digitized sexual abuse are warranted.

Sexual life during COVID-19

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly around the world leading to massive changes in various areas. World Health Organization (WHO) has declared this disease a global pandemic in March 2020 causing a range of restrictions and global lockdown. Sexual behaviors have suffered change because of the virus transmission and governmental regulations for people to stay inside their homes. This paper addresses the quality of sexual life during lockdown in Romanian population. We discuss results from an online survey of 395 adults who were asked about their intimate lives, in terms of pornography consumption, solo masturbation and sexual intercourse. We also collected data regarding variables of a good relationship in order to see wether they have an influence over sexual life. We found that a good relationship is strongly connected to quality of sexual life. Our results also show that many people have solo masturbated (72,2%) and have consumed pornography materials (56,5%). Key words: sexual life, COVID-19, sexual behavior.

How Human Values Relate to Attitudes Toward Pornography: A Portuguese Survey

Pornography consumption is increasing. Nevertheless, in Portugal, research is scarce, namely its relationship with psychosocial variables. We investigated the relation between human values and attitudes toward pornography consumption. Values were measured through the Basic Values Survey and attitudes toward pornography consumption were assessed with the Scale of Attitudes Toward Consumption of pornographic materials. The results showed that positive attitudes were associated with personal values (pleasure, sexuality, emotion, power, and prestige). Instead, the negative attitudes were associated with social values (religiosity and support). The consideration of values can help clinicians and sexual educators to better discuss and integrate pornography consumption.

Associations between adolescents’ pornography consumption and self-objectification, body comparison, and body shame

Although prior work indicates an association between idealized media content and adolescents’ body-related concerns, such as self-objectification, body comparison, and body shame, few prior studies have examined the role of pornography. Even fewer studies have included adolescent girls, limiting our understanding of potential gender differences. In this brief report, we investigate these associations in a diverse mixed-gender sample of high school students in the Southeastern U.S. (n = 223, ages 15–18, M age = 16.25, 59 % girls) who completed computerized self-report measures. Controlling for demographic covariates and frequency of social media use, we found an association between frequency of pornography consumption in the past year and higher self-objectification and body comparison, but not body shame. No evidence of differences by gender emerged. Results suggest that both boys and girls may be susceptible to pornography-related body concerns, yet these concerns may not include body shame. Future research should examine both risks and benefits of pornography use among adolescents using longitudinal designs, as well as how body-related concerns can be incorporated into pornography literacy interventions.

Understanding web pornography usage from traffic analysis

Pornography is massively available on the Internet, often free of charge. It represents a significant fraction of the overall Internet traffic, with thousands of websites and millions of users. Studying web pornography consumption is useful to understand human behavior, and it is crucial for different disciplines, helping in sociological, statistical and behavioral research. However, given the lack of public datasets, most of the works build on surveys, limited by multiple factors, e.g., unreliable answers that volunteers may (even unconsciously) give. In this work, we analyze anonymized accesses to pornography websites using HTTP-level traces collected from an operational network. Our dataset includes anonymized traffic from about 15000 broadband subscribers over three years. We use it to provide quantitative figures on pornographic website consumption, focusing on time and frequency of use, habits, and trends. We also compare web pornography users’ interests with those who do not consume web pornography, showing notable differences.

Intimate Partner Cyberstalking, Sexism, Pornography, and Sexting in Adolescents: New Challenges for Sex Education.

Background: Within the context of the widespread use of technologies by adolescents, the objectives of this study were to identify the perpetrators of intimate partner cyberstalking (IPCS) in adolescents; to analyze the relationship between IPCS and gender, age, sexting behaviors, pornography consumption, and ambivalent sexism; and to investigate the influence of the study variables as predictors of IPCS and determine their moderating role. Methods: Participants were 993 Spanish students of Secondary Education, 535 girls and 458 boys with mean age 15.75 (SD = 1.47). Of the total sample, 70.3% (n = 696) had or had had a partner. Results: Boys perform more sexting, consume more pornographic content, and have more hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes than girls. However, girls perpetrate more IPCS than boys. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression indicate that hostile sexism is a predictor of IPCS, as well as the combined effect of Gender × Pornography and Benevolent Sexism × Sexting. Conclusions: it is essential to implement sexual affective education programs in schools in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are incorporated so that boys and girls can experience their relationships, both offline and online, in an egalitarian and violence-free way.

Pornography Use Prevalence and Associated Factors in Arab Countries: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study of 15,027 Individuals

BackgroundThere has been a tangible increase in pornography consumption during the past decade, with the absence of a large-scale study of Arab countries. AimThe present study aimed to assess the prevalence of pornography viewing and its associated risk factors in Arab countries. MethodsA large cross-sectional online survey was carried out recruiting participants without restrictions on the age, socioeconomic level, job, or educational level. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify possible risk factors for viewing porn and results were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). OutcomesMain outcomes were pornography viewing (first exposure and frequency), the perceptions of this act, use of spare time, physical activity (exercising), and frequency of psychiatrist visits. ResultsThe final number of participants included in the study was 15027 participants with a mean age ± standard deviation of 23.82 years ± 24.99. Most of the participants were men (84.56%), living with parents (81.71%), and 60.51% university graduates. There were statistically significant differences (P < .001) in the attitude and practice of men compared with women throughout all tested variables. Frequent pornography viewing was associated with male gender (OR [95% CI] = 7.08 [6.43 to 7.81]; P < .001) and age group ≤15 years (OR [95% CI] = 1.33 [1.01 to 1.75]; P = .044). By contrast, higher education was inversely associated with viewing rates reaching the lowest level in PhD awardees (OR [95% CI] = 0.36 [0.26 to 0.51]; P = .003). It was also noted that regular exercising (OR [95% CI] = 0.66 [0.58 to 0.74]; P < .001) was associated with a reduction in pornography viewing rates. Clinical implicationsYoung age, male gender, and lower educational level are all predictors for higher pornography viewing and should be considered when designing public health intervention in a related context. Strengths and limitationsThis is the first large-scale multi-national survey to be conducted in Arab countries to investigate pornography viewing. The main limitations were the cross-sectional design (cannot indicate causality) and the self-report nature (liable to social desirability and recall bias). ConclusionPornography viewing is common in Arab countries and associated with some personal and behavioral factors.MA Eljawad, H Se'eda, S Ghozy, et al. Pornography Use Prevalence and Associated Factors in Arab Countries: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study of 15,027 Individuals. J Sex Med 2020;XX:XXX–XXX.

The twink next door, who also does porn: networked intimacy in gay porn performers’ self-presentation on social media

ABSTRACT The performer–viewer relationship premised on mediated intimacy is a pivotal element of porn. As social media afford more interactivity and flexibility for pornographic relationship-building, gay porn performers start to have an active presence on platforms like Twitter to not only promote their works, but also showcase what is ‘behind the scene’. This study provides a qualitative analysis of the Twitter feeds of performers affiliated with Helix Studios, a gay porn producer specializing in the twink genre. It is found that a networked intimacy is constructed through performers’ Twitter self-presentation. The networked intimacy pivots on the fantasy of the twink body, the romantic and sexual bonds among performers, and the fandom-facilitated interactions. Relational labour is dedicated to the authentication of performers’ professional persona through their private life. Under this aesthetics of authenticity, intimacy is commodified to sell sex, and sexuality is essentialized into a staged congruity between sexual acts and desires. Networked intimacy, as a common condition for gay porn production and consumption in a hybrid media system, develops into a multilayer shape on social media platforms. This case study of Helix Studios performers’ tweets reveals both precarities and potentials of networked intimacy in gay porn.

Pornography Consumption and Attitudes Towards Pornography Legality Predict Attitudes of Sexual Equality

ABSTRACT Some scholars argue that the existence of pornography is an ongoing assault on women and that it should be banned. However, the existing evidence suggests the connection between pornography consumption and sexism is overstated and may actually run in the opposite direction. Using data from the General Social Survey (2010–2018), the current study investigated if “pornography consumption” and “pornography tolerance” predicted sexism and whether these associations varied by sex. Results indicated that pornography consumption predicted lower levels of sexism, although these effects were rendered nonsignificant with the inclusion of sociodemographic, religious, and sociocultural covariates. When comparing the results of the current study to findings based on data from the 1970s–1990s, it appears that pornography consumption is now irrelevant to sexism rather than promoting egalitarianism. Our analyses focusing on “pornography tolerance” revealed that people who supported regulated pornography were more egalitarian than people who supported a pornography ban. Generally, men were more likely to report sexist attitudes than women, but sex moderated the relationship that pornography variables had with sexism in several of the models. Overall, pornography consumption and pornography tolerance were either irrelevant in predicting sexism or were associated with greater egalitarianism.

Constructing the understanding of teenagers deviant use of cyberspace

Cyberspace provides a completely different platform for the expression of one’s needs in comparison to the face-to-face world. The use of cyberspace by teenagers is becoming a major concern due to the emergence of engagement in deviant use of internet applications inclusive of engagement in sexting; excessive and addictive use of the internet, consumption of pornography, and as well as phenomena of internet chat rooms. The online disinhibition, anonymity, personality factors, sensation-seeking behavior, impulsivity, deviant socialization processes, and absence of social systems to educate adolescents about gender sensitivity and sex appear to predispose teenagers for indulgence in deviant usage of cyberspace. There is an urgent need to understand the factors related to deviant use of cyberspace and for offering programs for parents and adolescents on gender sensitivity, sexuality, sex, consent in relationships, and deviant use of internet applications. Such initiatives will help to offer opportunities for a corrective experience through appropriate socialization experiences and enhance cyberliteracy among children and adolescents.