Shaping Sexual Behaviors & Sexual Scripts
Associations of Adolescents’ Pornography Viewing with their Romantic Relationship Skills and Behaviors.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
Research into adolescent pornography use has identified numerous individual-level behavioral and attitudinal correlates. However, associations between adolescents’ pornography viewing and their romantic relationships remain understudied. Furthermore, very little is known about adolescents’ watching pornography with their romantic partners (i.e., joint pornography use). The present study of adolescents (n = 755, 59.9% girls, M age = 15.72 years old [SD = 1.34]) is among the first attempts to link adolescents’ pornography viewing behaviors to their romantic relationship attitudes and behaviors. We hypothesized that adolescents’ viewing would be associated with poorer self-reported relationship skills, more negative relationship behaviors, and increased involvement in sexual activity, such as sexting. Partial support for these hypotheses was found. Frequency of overall viewing was associated with lower relationship and refusal skills. Lifetime joint pornography viewing was associated with higher rates of dating violence victimization and perpetration in the past six months and with more abusive behaviors from one’s partner and more verbal conflict in the current dating relationship. Results, though cross-sectional, suggest that pornography viewing in adolescence is associated with poorer romantic outcomes. Implications for adolescent development and for healthcare providers and educators are discussed.
Relevance
The more adolescents viewed pornography, the more they reported less competency in romantic relationships, such as communicating how they want to be treated in relationships, choosing trustworthy partners, setting “realistic goals and expectations” in romantic relationships, setting limits “about what I want and need,” and the ability to make “clear decisions and take action in romantic relationships rather than just letting things happen.”
Frequency of viewing pornography was also associated with lower refusal skills, that is, saying no to risky and unhealthy sexual behavior.
Furthermore, “lifetime joint pornography viewing was associated with higher rates of dating violence victimization and perpetration” and “was associated with abusive behaviors from one’s partner and more verbal conflict in one’s current dating relationship.” These included pushing, shoving, verbal insults, feeling pressured by partners “to do risky things I don’t want to do,” controlling behaviors, and endorsing the attitude, “A person who makes their partner angry on purpose deserves to get hit.”
In sum, pornography use correlates with “poorer relationships and refusal skills.”
Citation
Huntington, C., Willoughby, B., & Rhoades, G. (2024). Associations of Adolescents’ Pornography Viewing with their Romantic Relationship Skills and Behaviors. Journal of sex research, 61(1), 80–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2022.2096844
