Mental Health
Exploring the clinical profile of problematic pornography use.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
Background: Although problematic pornography use (PPU) will soon be diagnosable through the International Classification for Diseases, 11th revision, its clinical profile remains contentious. The current study assessed whether PPU may be characterized by various symptoms sometimes observed among online recovery forums that currently lack empirical assessment, such as heightened cognitive-affective issues following pornography use and sexual dysfunction with partners as a result of escalating use.
Method: Cross-sectional surveys were completed by male PPUs (N = 138, mean age = 31.75 years, standard deviation = 10.72) recruited via online recovery communities and Amazon Mechanical Turk. Multiple regression analysis was performed using the Problematic Pornography Use Scale as the dependent variable and variables of interest (Arizona Sexual Experiences Scales modified for partnered sex and pornography use, Brunel Mood Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, and the Tolerance subscale from the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale) and potential confounders (eg, comorbid psychopathology) as independent variables.
Results: Current levels of pornography use, indicators of tolerance and escalation, greater sexual functioning with pornography, and psychological distress were uniquely associated with PPU severity, while cognitive-affective issues after pornography use, impulsivity and compulsivity were not. Although sexual dysfunction did not predict PPU severity, nearly half the sample indicated sexual dysfunction with intimate partners.
Conclusions: The present findings suggest that PPU may be characterized by tolerance and escalation (as per substance addiction models), greater sexual responsivity toward pornography, and psychological distress. Meanwhile, the high rate of partnered sexual dysfunction observed suggests that PPU might be somewhat separable from other forms of compulsive sexual behavior.
Relevance
In this study of men with problematic pornography use (PPU), “tolerance scores positively predicted PPU severity, corroborating previous demonstrations of porn-related tolerance and escalation.” This finding supports other studies showing that regular pornography viewers build up a tolerance such that they need spend more time viewing ever more extreme content in order to achieve the same level of desired effects.
“Nearly half of the current sample indicated sexual dysfunction with partners while less than 10% met the same criteria for pornography use.” In other words, high pornography users find human partners less sexually satisfying than online pornography.
A “subset of PPUs may experience cognitive-affective symptoms severe enough to induce functional impairment.”
Citation
Ince, C., Yücel, M., Albertella, L., & Fontenelle, L. F. (2020). Exploring the clinical profile of problematic pornography use. CNS Spectrums, 21(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852920001686
