Summary: A new study examines the phenomenon of problematic pornography use (PPU) across 42 countries, involving over 82,000 people of diverse genders and sexual orientations. The research highlights how PPU affects a significant minority, leading to serious life consequences, yet remains largely unaddressed in terms of seeking help.
Key findings include that up to 94% of adults have engaged with pornography, with around 3% potentially experiencing PPU without significant differences across sexual orientations or gender identities. This study underscores the need for greater understanding and support for those struggling with PPU, challenging societal norms and stigmas surrounding pornography consumption.
Key Facts:
- The study is one of the first to explore PPU among a wide demographic, including women and gender-diverse individuals.
- Approximately 3% of the surveyed population may have a problematic relationship with pornography, with minimal differences noted across different sexual orientations.
- Despite the prevalence of PPU, few individuals seek help, indicating a gap in awareness and resources for addressing the issue.
Source: University of Montreal
A major international study led by a Canadian psychologist sheds light on a hidden phenomenon: how problematic use of pornography is affecting people in different parts of the world, across various genders and sexual orientations.
Published in the journal Addiction, the research stands out because, among the 82,000 people in 42 countries studied, it looks at groups that were often overlooked in the past, including women and individuals who don’t fit traditional gender categories.
In their findings, largely based on surveys and questionnaires, UdeM assistant professor of psychology Beáta Bőthe and her colleagues focus on what experts call ‘problematic pornography use’ or PPU, where people can’t control their use of pornography.
This misuse starts to have serious negative impacts on their lives, including losing jobs or feeling significant distress. Importantly, the study clarifies that feeling guilty for consuming pornography doesn’t necessarily mean someone is actually a problematic user.
As many as 94% of adults
“A lot of people watch pornography,” said Bőthe, whose 79 co-authors include members of the International Sex Survey consortium in the U.S., China, Europe and other parts of the globe.
“In North America, Europe and Australia, 70 to 94 per cent of adults have used pornography at some point in their lives. Before, we knew that men can often become problematic pornography users, but there was little information about how women and people with diverse gender identities are affected, nor how this issue affects people based on their sexual orientation.”
Hers is one of the first studies on pornography to include a wide range of people and to consider different genders and who they are attracted to. Delving into the data, Bőthe and her co-researchers used special analytical tools designed to measure how serious these people’s problem with pornography might be.
They discovered that just over 3 per cent might have a real problem with pornography. Men seemed to have more issues compared to women, but the study didn’t find big differences based on whether people were straight, gay, or bisexual, or reported other sexual orientations. And comparatively few people who might have a problem with pornography ever look for help.
“Our research shows that the problematic pornography use may be more common than many might think and affects a wide range of people,” said Bőthe. “It highlights that while many are struggling, not many seek help. That’s important because it suggests that more work needs to be done to understand and support those who are affected by it.”
Many ways to consume
Online, there are all kinds of sexually explicit content available, most of it for free. These include:
- Videos and movies. These are perhaps the most common forms of pornography, involving various types of sexual activities portrayed in video format. These can range from amateur recordings to professional productions.
- Images and photographs. These include still images, which can be either photographs or digitally created artwork, depicting nudity or sexual acts.
- Erotic stories and literature. These written materials describe sexual scenarios and fantasies and are found on websites and in online forums.
- Live cam shows. These involve live streaming of sexual acts or erotic performances by individuals or groups, often allowing for viewers to interact with the performers.
- Virtual reality (VR) and interactive content. Advanced technologies are now being used to create immersive and interactive pornographic experiences, often using VR headsets.
- Chat rooms and forums. These platforms facilitate sexually explicit conversations and exchanges, sometimes including the sharing of personal sexual content.
- Animated and hentai content. This includes animated pornography, often with fantasy or exaggerated scenarios, including a subgenre known as ‘hentai’ which is a form of Japanese anime and manga pornography.
“We didn’t measure what kind of porn people watch, so we don’t know if the watched materials align with a person’s sexual orientation,” said Bőthe. “But we can say that there’s no difference in PPU across people with different sexual orientations, and that men report PPU more frequently than women or gender-diverse individuals.”
In some cultures, though widely consumed, porn is still considered taboo, and this can have the effect that woman shy away from it more than men, she added.
Young people, particularly those who have grown up with easy internet access, generally consume more online porn than older generations who did not have such ready access in their formative years. And while most people use porn for seek sexual gratification, others do so out of curiosity, for educational purposes, or as a means to explore their sexuality.
Influenced by other factors
People who identify as transgender or non-binary might have specific preferences that are different from cisgender individuals, the study notes. For these people, how they consume porn can be influenced by factors like seeking representation or exploring gender and sexual identity.
“And even though sexual minority individuals may watch porn more frequently than their heterosexual peers – because it may be more challenging for them to find romantic or sexual partners or because they use porn to learn about their sexuality – they don’t report more problems with their porn use than their heterosexual peers, ” Bőthe said.
Overall, she concluded, “it’s important to acknowledge that these patterns are influenced by a complex interplay of personal, societal, and cultural factors and can vary widely within groups. And the perception and impact of pornography consumption can vary greatly among individuals within these groups.”
About this addiction and psychology research news
Author: Jeff Heinrich
Source: University of Montreal
Contact: Jeff Heinrich – University of Montreal
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Problematic pornography use across countries, genders, and sexual orientations: Insights from the International Sex Survey and comparison of different assessment tools” by Beáta Bőthe et al. Addiction
Abstract
Problematic pornography use across countries, genders, and sexual orientations: Insights from the International Sex Survey and comparison of different assessment tools
Background and aims
Problematic pornography use (PPU) is a common manifestation of the newly introduced Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder diagnosis in the 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Although cultural, gender- and sexual orientation-related differences in sexual behaviors are well documented, there is a relative absence of data on PPU outside Western countries and among women as well as gender- and sexually-diverse individuals. We addressed these gaps by (a) validating the long and short versions of the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS and PPCS-6, respectively) and the Brief Pornography Screen (BPS) and (b) measuring PPU risk across diverse populations.
Methods
Using data from the pre-registered International Sex Survey [n = 82 243; mean age (Mage) = 32.4 years, standard deviation = 12.5], a study across 42 countries from five continents, we evaluated the psychometric properties (i.e. factor structure, measurement invariance, and reliability) of the PPCS, PPCS-6, and BPS and examined their associations with relevant correlates (e.g. treatment-seeking). We also compared PPU risk among diverse groups (e.g. three genders).
Results
The PPCS, PPCS-6, and BPS demonstrated excellent psychometric properties [for example, comparative fit index = 0.985, Tucker–Lewis Index = 0.981, root mean square error of approximation = 0.060 (90% confidence interval = 0.059–0.060)] in the confirmatory factor analysis, with all PPCS’ inter-factor correlations positive and strong (rs = 0.72–0.96). A total of 3.2% of participants were at risk of experiencing PPU (PPU+) based on the PPCS, with significant country- and gender-based differences (e.g. men reported the highest levels of PPU). No sexual orientation-based differences were observed. Only 4–10% of individuals in the PPU+ group had ever sought treatment for PPU, while an additional 21–37% wanted to, but did not do so for specific reasons (e.g. unaffordability).
Conclusions
This study validated three measures to assess the severity of problematic pornography use across languages, countries, genders, and sexual orientations in 26 languages: the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS, and PPCS-6, respectively), and the Brief Pornography Screen (BPS). The problematic pornography use risk is estimated to be 3.2–16.6% of the population of 42 countries, and varies among different groups (e.g. genders) and based on the measure used.
