Mental Health
Internet Pornography Use Among Medical Students in India: Extent and Effect.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
Background: Medical students are more susceptible to stress associated with long working hours, arduous studies, and living alone away from the home, which may affect their psychological well-being. They may indulge in the use of internet and pornography to ameliorate their stress. Internet is one of the main sources of pornographic content as it is easily available, affordable, and accessible.
Objective: The current study seeks to quantitatively estimate the extent of internet addiction and pornography use among medical students in India, and its effect on their general well-being.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in a medical college in North India involving undergraduate (including interns) and postgraduate medical students. Those using internet for porn use were assessed using a semi-structured sociodemographic questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire 30, WHO Quality of Life Index (WHOQOL)-BREF, and Internet Addiction Test (IAT).
Results: A total of 393 medical students who agreed on their pornography internet usage were recruited for the study. Problematic pornography internet usage (moderate and 0severe IAT scores) was seen in 11% (80) of the participants. Male and married students were more likely to be problematic users. The mean duration of pornography use was 8.02±6.32 h/week. The time spent on pornography use positively correlated with IAT and General Health Questionnaire scores, whereas it negatively correlated with WHOQOL-BREF scores.
Conclusions: Internet pornography use is significantly prevalent amongst medical students in India. As the duration of pornography use increases, general health measures and quality of life decrease, which may impact their well-being and academic performance.
Relevance
“We found that a significant proportion of students had at least mild levels of internet pornography use” (more than 50%) and that “around 11% of the total students (80) had problematic internet use…As the time spent on internet for use of pornography increases, the general measures of health and well-being decline.”
Problematic pornography use was far more common among the men, and “significantly more common among married students.”
“The study also found that those who spend more time on online pornography neglect their social life, utilize online relationships to cope with stress and have unstable relationships, and neglect their work leading to a decrease performance and productivity”.
Citation
Kumar, V., Sachdeva, A., Khullar, S., Ali, e., & Abbas, S. Z. (2022). Journal of Psychosexual Health, 4(1), 14-19. https://doi.org/10.1177/26318318211065648
