Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Neuroscience
  • About
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Relationships and Sexual Health

Parental anxiety and stress are associated with ineffective parenting strategies for regulating children’s exposure to pornography

by Beth Ellwood
May 31, 2021
in Relationships and Sexual Health, Social Psychology
Share on TwitterShare on Facebook
Stay informed on the latest psychology and neuroscience research—follow PsyPost on LinkedIn for daily updates and insights.

According to the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, parental psychopathology can influence the way a parent handles their child’s exposure to pornography. Parents with anxiety or stress are more likely to adopt authoritarian parenting, and in turn, more likely to use maladaptive strategies for regulating their child’s use of pornography.

With the internet at our fingertips, pornographic content is only a few clicks away — even for young children. Studies suggest that this type of content encourages sexual objectification and has been linked to harmful consequences like sexual aggression. Unsurprisingly, many parents adopt strategies to try to restrict their child’s exposure to pornography.

Study authors Yaniv Efrati and Meyran Boniel-Nissim note that these pornography-related parenting strategies are often ineffective and may even be counterproductive. For example, setting specific rules to limit a child’s media use may paradoxically increase their use of media.

“As a parent of children, I asked myself what is the best way to talk about porn with my children? I have seen that many parents are afraid, stressed and even anxious about the fact that their child has been exposed to porn and they feel that they do not know what to do,” said study author Yaniv Efrati, the founder and CEO of The Israeli Center for Healthy Sexuality and a senior lecturer at Beit-Berl College.

The researchers wanted to explore whether parental stress, anxiety, or depression would lead parents to choose maladaptive strategies to regulate their child’s exposure to pornography. Efrati and Boniel-Nissim reasoned that parental psychopathology should influence parenting style, which should then lead to the adoption of strategies that are more or less effective for regulating children’s pornography use.

The study involved 1,070 Jewish-Israeli parents of children between the ages of 10 and 14. The parents completed questionnaires that assessed their parenting style, the strategies they used to regulate their child’s exposure to pornography, and their depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms.

The researchers found that parental stress and anxiety were associated with a greater likelihood of adopting an authoritarian parenting style — a form of parenting characterized by an emphasis on obedience and strict rule setting. In turn, authoritarian parenting was associated with more restrictive mediation strategies — such as setting rules to regulate their child’s exposure to pornography.

Parents with stress or anxiety were also less likely to adopt an authoritative parenting style — a parenting style that places high expectations on children but with the addition of warmth and compromise. Authoritative parents were less likely to use restrictive mediation or negative active mediation strategies (i.e., methods that reject or criticize a child’s behavior).

“The position or premise that we parents need to adopt is — relaxed parenting that encourages open communication and active mediation,” Efrati said.

The researchers note that restrictive mediation strategies have been found to be ineffective and to even backfire by increasing undesired behavior. Keeping this in mind, the current findings suggest that psychopathology leads parents toward less favorable strategies for regulating their child’s exposure to pornography, which may actually increase the problematic behaviors parents are trying to avoid. Heightened anxiety may lead parents to channel their distress into an authoritarian parenting style that ultimately works against their goals.

“It is important for parents to internalize that they are the ‘responsible adults’ for the children and if they do not talk to their children, their children will try to check on sexuality or porn in networks in an irresponsible and even risky ways,” Efrati said. “Open communication on sexuality or pornography, parental presence and active and positive parental mediation is very important for the child’s sexual development. Healthy sexuality for a healthy society!”

The authors acknowledge that their study did not explore how the parents’ use of mediation strategies affected their child’s behavior surrounding pornography. Future studies that examine the interplay between parents’ mediation strategies and children’s outcomes over time would provide insight into this relationship.

“As parents we are in conflict between the need to protect our children from watching uncontrolled content (for example, porn) and on the other hand – the development of autonomy and independence,” Efrati explained. “We need to be careful that stress and anxiety do not drive us as parents and paradoxically only cause children to perceive their sexuality as something forbidden or dirty (under the guise of protecting our child) — which can impair the development of sexuality to speak healthily and enjoyably. Future studies should examine in a longitudinal study the significance of the type of mediation on the perception of sexuality among children who watching porn.”

The study, “Parents’ Psychopathology Promotes the Adoption of Ineffective Pornography-Related Parenting Mediation Strategies”, was authored by Yaniv Efrati and Meyran Boniel-Nissim.

TweetSendScanShareSendPinShareShareShareShareShare

RELATED

New study suggests Donald Trump’s “fake news” attacks are backfiring
Political Psychology

Scientists are uncovering more and more unsettling facts about our politics

July 5, 2025

Why has politics become so personal? The answers may lie in our minds. These 13 studies from the new science of political behavior reveal the hidden psychological forces—from personality to primal fear—that are driving us further apart.

Read moreDetails
7 subtle signs you are being love bombed—and how to slow things down before you get hurt
Relationships and Sexual Health

7 subtle signs you are being love bombed—and how to slow things down before you get hurt

July 4, 2025

Is it true love or love bombing? Here’s how to spot the difference.

Read moreDetails
These common sounds can impair your learning, according to new psychology research
Political Psychology

Despite political tensions, belief in an impending U.S. civil war remains low

July 4, 2025

A new national survey finds that only a small fraction of Americans believe civil war is likely or necessary.

Read moreDetails
Scientists just uncovered a surprising illusion in how we remember time
Racism and Discrimination

Hispanic adolescents experience later sleep timing and greater social jet lag than peers, study finds

July 3, 2025

Hispanic adolescents reported later sleep timing, greater social jet lag, shorter weekday sleep, higher caffeine intake, and more evening screen time than peers. Screen use and stress, but not caffeine, were linked to delayed sleep and sleep misalignment.

Read moreDetails
Racial and religious differences help explain why unmarried voters lean Democrat
Political Psychology

Student loan debt doesn’t deter civic engagement — it may actually drive it, new research suggests

July 3, 2025

Americans with student loan debt are more likely to vote and engage in political activities than those without debt, likely because they see government as responsible and capable of addressing their financial burden through policy change.

Read moreDetails
Scientists just uncovered a surprising illusion in how we remember time
Infidelity

Not bothered by celebrity infidelity? This psychological trait might be why

July 3, 2025

The online shaming of unfaithful celebrities is a modern spectacle, but why do some join in while others don't? Researchers exploring this puzzle found a key predictor: a belief in a just world, which unexpectedly dampens outrage and blame.

Read moreDetails
Scientists just uncovered a surprising illusion in how we remember time
Mental Health

New research suggests the conservative mental health advantage is a myth

July 3, 2025

Do conservatives really have better mental well-being than liberals? A new study suggests the answer depends entirely on how you ask. The well-known ideological gap disappears when "mental health" is replaced with the less-stigmatized phrase "overall mood."

Read moreDetails
Authoritarianism in parents may hinder a key cognitive skill in their children
Attachment Styles

New research suggests interparental conflict can spill over into a mother’s parenting style

July 2, 2025

A new study shows that when mothers experience hostile conflict with their partner, they may feel less emotionally secure—an effect that predicts harsher discipline toward their children. Fathers showed no similar pattern in parenting behavior.

Read moreDetails

SUBSCRIBE

Go Ad-Free! Click here to subscribe to PsyPost and support independent science journalism!

STAY CONNECTED

LATEST

Scientists are uncovering more and more unsettling facts about our politics

People with depression face significantly greater social and health-related challenges

Stress disrupts gut and brain barriers by reducing key microbial metabolites, study finds

New research reveals hidden biases in AI’s moral advice

7 subtle signs you are being love bombed—and how to slow things down before you get hurt

A simple breathing exercise enhances emotional control, new research suggests

Despite political tensions, belief in an impending U.S. civil war remains low

Girls are better than boys at detecting their own ADHD symptoms

         
       
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and Conditions
[Do not sell my information]

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy