Mental Health

Open Access: No.

Abstract

Scholars have begun to explore college student engagement in erotic services (e.g., pornography, escort); however, few studies in the United States have examined the prevalence of erotic service involvement among college students and which personality traits are associated with such engagement. This study examined the relevance of gender and psychopathic traits, above the influence of substance use, for understanding erotic service involvement in men and women college students. A total of 1,250 undergraduate students (800 women) completed the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-III and Erotic Activity Questionnaire. Men and women, respectively, endorsed low-moderate provision levels (12.25% and 11.00%) and moderate-high consumption levels (44.17% and 26.16%) of erotic services and/or sex exchange. Impulsive-antisocial psychopathic traits were related to erotic service provision. In contrast, participants high on both interpersonal-affective and impulsive-antisocial factors of psychopathy were most likely to consume services. These relations did not change when adjusting for substance use. Lastly, although associations between psychopathic traits and provision were not dependent on gender, the interpersonal-affective traits were associated with increased consumption of physical contact services in women, whereas consumption was similar in men across levels of these traits. Results inform college student involvement in erotic services and highlight personality correlates of engagement in understanding risks and benefits.

Relevance

“Our results indicated that elevated levels of impulsive-antisocial traits were related to provision of erotic services,” including performing in pornography.

Students who score high on interpersonal-affective and impulsive-antisocial  traits were “most likely to endorse consuming erotic services,” including pornography.

Citation

Edwards, B. G., Hoffmann, A. M., & Verona, E. (2022). Psychopathic traits in the context of paid erotic services and sex exchange among college students. Personality disorders, 13(3), 232–244. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000506