A study published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy suggests that the use of pornography by those in monogamous relationships is not necessarily associated with negative consequences. It seems that the negative consequences of pornography use depend on the consumer’s own moral beliefs about the practice.
With pornography becoming more widely accessible, scientific interest in the consequences of its use has increased as well. Previous research has uncovered both positive and negative consequences associated with using pornography. Study authors Raquel Guidry and her colleagues wanted to explore whether this variation in outcomes may have to do with the individual consumer’s perceptions of pornography use, and, specifically, their moral beliefs.
“Moral disapproval and pornography are relatively new areas of research, and there is a dearth of information addressing the interface between pornography consumption, factors associated with psychological distress, and moral disapproval . . . A lack of congruence between one’s beliefs, religion, and behavior, as may be experienced in the act of consuming pornography, often results in psychological distress (see Grubbs et al., 2018),” Guidry and colleagues say.
A survey was distributed online, among a sample of men and women between the ages of 18 and 73. Subjects were included if they indicated being currently in a monogamous relationship and having accessed pornography within the past six months, resulting in a sample of 287 participants. The respondents completed measures of anxiety, depression, relationship satisfaction, and romantic partner attachment.
The survey also asked respondents how many times they had accessed pornography online in the past month, and measured their moral disapproval towards pornography using four questions (e.g., “Viewing pornography online violates my personal values.”).
Researchers conducted a series of regression analyses to uncover correlations among the variables.
First, results showed that pornography use was linked to both anxiety and depression Furthermore, this link was moderated by the role of moral disapproval. As the researchers illustrate, “This finding indicates that those in committed relationships who have both high levels of use and high levels of MD have higher levels of both anxiety and depression.”
Surprisingly, the frequency of pornography use was not associated with lower relationship satisfaction, after accounting for romantic partner attachment. However, it was found that pornography use was indirectly associated with relationship satisfaction — through depression — and this indirect link was moderated by moral disapproval. “In other words,” Guidry and colleagues relate, “results suggest that high levels of pornography use coupled with high levels of moral disapproval of pornography positively predict an increase in depression levels, which predicts a subsequent decrease in relationship satisfaction.”
Guidry and her team acknowledge that their study was limited because the model being tested assumed that pornography use and moral disapproval preceded the outcomes of depression and relationship satisfaction, while no such causality can be inferred. Longitudinal research to monitor these variables over time is needed to clarify the direction of the variables.
“The present study,” the researchers express, “lends support to a model in which the relationship between pornography use, distress, and decreased relationship satisfaction is contingent on each pornography consumer’s subjective disapproval of pornography use.”
The study, “The Exacerbating Impact of Moral Disapproval on the Relationship Between Pornography Use and Depression, Anxiety, and Relationship Satisfaction”, was authored by Raquel Guidry, Christopher G. Floyd, Fred Volk, and Carolyn E. Moen.