Mental Health

Open Access: No.

Abstract

Insecure attachment styles can mediate the vulnerabilities for engagement in risk behaviours, especially pornography use. The exact mechanism between attachment and addictive behaviour is yet unknown, though. In order to have a better understanding of the relationship between attachment types and the use of pornography and to draw implications for clinical practice, we examined the available scientific information. A comprehensive systematic review was conducted across five databases namely ProQuest, Pubmed, PsycINFO, EBSCO & JSTOR and Ebsco for English language studies published from Jan 2013 to Sept 2024. Data from the selected studies were extracted and collated into the review matrix. Among the 25 full text reviews, 10 records that met the eligibility criteria were included in the final review. Three themes namely Attachment style and Pornography, Psychiatric comorbidity and attachment & Pornography use, Attachment Styles, Gender and Impact on Relationships were derived from a thematic synthesis of 10 studies and reflected the psychosocial underpinnings of attachment and pornography. The review highlighted the association between attachment and pornography consumption, suggesting that individuals with insecure attachment may turn to pornography due to difficulties in intimacy and unmet relational needs. The study findings implicate that the relationship between attachment style and pornography addiction has clinical significance towards assessing and treating individuals with problematic pornography use.

Relevance

“Findings suggest that teenagers who are lonely, and have an anxious or avoidant attachment style are more likely to engage in online sex and pornographic content.” Likewise: “Pornography use and relationship satisfaction were positively correlated for anxious attachment-prone men, but significantly negatively correlated for anxious attachment-prone women.” This study, then, fits a wider set of research in which links “pornography consumption and poor mental health.”

Citation

Memon, S., Sunil, S.., Kumar, R. V. R., Sharma, M. K., & Rajashekar, M. (2025). Filling the void: A systematic review of pornography use and attachment styles. Geopsychiatry, 2, Article 100013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geopsy.2025.100013