Mental Health
The Correlation of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Pornography Consumption Among Males
Open Access: Yes.
Abstract
Since 1999, significant research has been devoted to understanding how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) correlate with a variety of negative health and behavioral outcomes. During this same time, pornography consumption had increased dramatically. Although there were studies that examined the relationship between various variables found in the ACEs questionnaire and pornography consumption, there were no studies that utilized the ACEs questionnaire to examine the relationship between ACEs and pornography consumption and age of exposure. The purpose of this cross-sectional, correlational study was to identify the relationship between ACEs, the age of exposure to pornography, and pornography consumption among adult males. Data from 127 participants were analyzed through multiple linear regression. The ACE Questionnaire and a modified Section 3 of the Pornography Consumption Questionnaire were used to establish how many ACEs adult males incurred in childhood in combination with when and how they used pornography throughout life. Statistical significance of positive associations was found in the relationship between ACEs, age of exposure to pornography, and pornography consumption. The results of this study contribute to filling a gap in research and may facilitate a better understanding of what makes people vulnerable to unwanted or problematic pornography consumption. Further research and approaches are recommended to better understand this relationship.
Relevance
“As hypothesized, the results indicated significant associations between age of exposure to pornography and the amount of time spent watching pornography and ACEs [adverse childhood experiences] score. There was a positive correlation between ACEs and amount of time spent watching pornography, indicating that higher ACEs scores were associated with higher amounts of time spent watching pornography by males in adulthood.”
“The results of this study that found a relationship between ACEs and age of exposure to pornography may indicate that those who grow up with higher ACEs may also be vulnerable to exposure to pornography in childhood.” For this reason, it will be useful for “clinicians to become better equipped to deal with pornography exposure at a young age with their clientele.”
Citation
Henry, B., Bridges, C. W., & Shaw, S. L. (2025). The Correlation of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Pornography Consumption Among Males. Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education, 6 (1), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.34296/06012014
