Violence
Pornography use as a risk marker for an aggressive pattern of behavior among sexually reactive children and adolescents.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
Sexually reactive children and adolescents (SRCAs), sometimes referred to as juvenile sexual offenders, may be more vulnerable and likely to experience damaging effects from pornography use because they are a high-risk group for a variety of aggressive behaviors. The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of those who use pornography and those who do not and to examine the associations between pornography use and aggressive behaviors among SRCAs. This secondary analysis used a descriptive, exploratory design to study 160 SRCAs. Chi-square and individual odds ratio analyses were employed to examine the associations between use of pornography and aggressive behaviors. SRCAs who used pornography were more likely to display aggressive behaviors than their nonusing cohort. Recommendations for nurses and mental health professionals encountering these children and adolescents are offered.
Relevance
Sexually reactive children and adolescents (SRCAs) are young people who “engage in sexually inappropriate and/or coercive acts with other youth and adults.” This study found that SRCAs who used pornography compared to those who did not use pornography were more likely to engage in a prominent pattern of lying, a persistent pattern of theft/stealing, to be truant, to frequently con/manipulate others, to engage in arson/firesetting behaviors, to engage in coerced vaginal penetration and forced sexual acts such as oral or digital penetration, to express sexually aggressive remarks (obscenities), and to engage in sex with animals” and, not less significant degrees, “to have used a weapon, run away, and exposed themselves to strangers than” SRCAs who did not use pornography.
Citation
