Violence

Open Access: Yes.

Abstract

Pornography use and intimate partner violence (IPV) are both prevalent in romantic relationships. However, information is lacking about whether pornography use predicts IPV. This study  examined the relation between frequency of pornography use (FPU) and IPV across a span of 4 months in a sample of 132 different-sex couple dyads. At least one partner in each couple was attending a Canadian university. Participants (N = 264) completed online measures of pornography use, IPV, and social desirability at baseline and at a 4-month follow-up. Two longitudinal  actor–partner interdependence models using a structural equation framework to conduct path analyses demonstrated that (a) higher FPU among men at baseline predicted increases in IPV  perpetration and victimization from baseline to 4-month follow-up for both men and women and (b) women’s baseline FPU did not predict change in IPV over time for themselves or their  partners. These findings suggest that frequent pornography use among male partners in different-sex romantic relationships may represent an under-recognized risk factor for IPV, and further  research is needed to identify latent factors that may be contributing to this relation. Although women’s baseline FPU did not predict changes in IPV over time, this may be because women used pornography less frequently than men.

Relevance

This study of university students found that, in male-female couples, if the man frequently used pornography, both male partners “developed higher rates…of perpetration and victimization” of intimate partner violence. “Not only do results provide evidence that frequent pornography use in men is a risk factor for IPV, the longitudinal design allowed us to demonstrate that high FPU  among men resulted in increases in IPV over time.”

Citation

Jongsma, K., & Timmons Fritz, P. (2022). The Role of Pornography Use in Intimate Partner Violence in Different-Sex Couples: A Prospective Longitudinal Study. Journal of interpersonal violence, 37(21-22), NP20873–NP20897. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605211055145