Alpha 2.0

» Articles » PMID: 35787262

The Role of Pornography in the Sex Life of Young Adults-a Cross-sectional Cohort Study on Female and Male German Medical Students

Overview

Overview

Journal BMC Public Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Public Health

Date 2022 Jul 5

PMID 35787262

Authors

Authors

Matthias Jahnen

Leopold Zeng

Martina Kron

Valentin H Meissner

Alexander Korte

Stefan Schiele

Helga Schulwitz

Andreas Dinkel

Jurgen E Gschwend

Kathleen Herkommer

Affiliations

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Due to easy online accessibility of pornography its consumption is popular among adolescents and young adults. Considering recently developed frameworks on the effects of sexual media, we assessed how increased consumption of pornography is associated with the experience of certain aspects of offline and online sexual activity in German medical students.

Methods: Between April 2018 and March 2020 medical students from the Technical University of Munich in Germany were anonymously surveyed with regards to their sexual behavior, consumption of pornography, and use of social media. 468 students (female: n = 293; male: n = 175) were included in the current analysis. Data was analyzed using simple and multiple Poisson regression analysis.

Results: Only 7.3% of female students but the majority of male students (79.1%) consumed pornography more than 4 times in the last 4 weeks. Female and male students who reported to be inspired by pornography (female: 52.0%, male: 74.6%) and who have enjoyed the experience of anal intercourse in their life (female: 17.1%, male: 32.2%) consumed pornography more frequently. Female students who have experienced a "threesome" (9.0%), have sent erotic pictures of themselves (33.5%), or use social media in their dating life (27.6%) consumed pornography more frequently. Male students who did not experience a sexual transmitted disease (82.9%) and did not cheat on their partner (68.0%) consumed pornography more frequently (results of multiple Poisson regression analysis; all p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Many students consider pornography as inspiration for their sex life and frequent consumption of pornography seems to be associated with gender specific characteristics congruent with short-term sexual quality. The desire of adolescents and young adults for practical information about sexual intercourse should be addressed openly and a proper understanding of the sexuality shown in pornography should be taught.

Citing Articles

Factors associated with online dating among college students engaging in casual sexual behavior in China: cross-sectional study.

Chen W, Yang Z, Ma Q, Zhou X Front Public Health. 2024; 12:1417531.

PMID: 39247231 PMC: 11377260. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1417531.

Learning on OnlyFans: User Perspectives on Knowledge and Skills Acquired on the Platform.

Lippmann M, Lawlor N, Leistner C Sex Cult. 2023; :1-21.

PMID: 36685612 PMC: 9838472. DOI: 10.1007/s12119-022-10060-0.

References

1.

Leonhardt N, Spencer T, Butler M, Theobald A . An Organizational Framework for Sexual Media's Influence on Short-Term Versus Long-Term Sexual Quality. Arch Sex Behav. 2018; 48(8):2233-2249. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-018-1209-4. View

2.

Hald G . Gender differences in pornography consumption among young heterosexual Danish adults. Arch Sex Behav. 2006; 35(5):577-85. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-006-9064-0. View

3.

Doring N, Daneback K, Shaughnessy K, Grov C, Byers E . Online Sexual Activity Experiences Among College Students: A Four-Country Comparison. Arch Sex Behav. 2015; 46(6):1641-1652. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-015-0656-4. View

4.

Milas G, Wright P, Stulhofer A . Longitudinal Assessment of the Association Between Pornography Use and Sexual Satisfaction in Adolescence. J Sex Res. 2019; 57(1):16-28. DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2019.1607817. View

5.

McNabney S, Hevesi K, Rowland D . Effects of Pornography Use and Demographic Parameters on Sexual Response during Masturbation and Partnered Sex in Women. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(9). PMC: 7246896. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17093130. View

6.

Kohut T, Fisher W, Campbell L . Perceived Effects of Pornography on the Couple Relationship: Initial Findings of Open-Ended, Participant-Informed, "Bottom-Up" Research. Arch Sex Behav. 2016; 46(2):585-602. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-016-0783-6. View

7.

Campbell L, Kohut T . The use and effects of pornography in romantic relationships. Curr Opin Psychol. 2017; 13:6-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.03.004. View

8.

Bothe B, Toth-Kiraly I, Bella N, Potenza M, Demetrovics Z, Orosz G . Why do people watch pornography? The motivational basis of pornography use. Psychol Addict Behav. 2020; 35(2):172-186. DOI: 10.1037/adb0000603. View

9.

Wright P, Bae S, Funk M . United States women and pornography through four decades: exposure, attitudes, behaviors, individual differences. Arch Sex Behav. 2013; 42(7):1131-44. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-013-0116-y. View

10.

Sinkovic M, Stulhofer A, Bozic J . Revisiting the association between pornography use and risky sexual behaviors: the role of early exposure to pornography and sexual sensation seeking. J Sex Res. 2012; 50(7):633-41. DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2012.681403. View

11.

Castro A, Barrada J, Ramos-Villagrasa P, Fernandez-Del-Rio E . Profiling Dating Apps Users: Sociodemographic and Personality Characteristics. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(10). PMC: 7277526. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17103653. View

12.

Grubbs J, Gola M . Is Pornography Use Related to Erectile Functioning? Results From Cross-Sectional and Latent Growth Curve Analyses. J Sex Med. 2019; 16(1):111-125. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.11.004. View

13.

Hald G, Stulhofer A . What Types of Pornography Do People Find Arousing and Do They Cluster? Assessing Types and Categories of Pornography in a Large-Scale Online Sample. J Sex Res. 2015; 53(7):849-59. DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2015.1065953. View

14.

Cheung F, Lucas R . Assessing the validity of single-item life satisfaction measures: results from three large samples. Qual Life Res. 2014; 23(10):2809-18. PMC: 4221492. DOI: 10.1007/s11136-014-0726-4. View

15.

Martyniuk U, Briken P, Sehner S, Richter-Appelt H, Dekker A . Pornography Use and Sexual Behavior Among Polish and German University Students. J Sex Marital Ther. 2015; 42(6):494-514. DOI: 10.1080/0092623X.2015.1072119. View

16.

Fisher W, Kohut T . Reading Pornography: Methodological Considerations in Evaluating Pornography Research. J Sex Med. 2019; 17(2):195-209. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.11.257. View

17.

Braithwaite S, Coulson G, Keddington K, Fincham F . The influence of pornography on sexual scripts and hooking up among emerging adults in college. Arch Sex Behav. 2014; 44(1):111-23. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-014-0351-x. View

18.

Koletic G, Stulhofer A, Hald G, Traeen B . Self-Assessed Effects of Pornography Use on Personal Sex Life: Results from a Large-Scale Study of Norwegian Adults. Int J Sex Health. 2024; 33(3):342-356. PMC: 10903670. DOI: 10.1080/19317611.2021.1918310. View

19.

Martyniuk U, Okolski L, Dekker A . Pornographic Content and Real-Life Sexual Experiences: Findings From a Survey of German University Students. J Sex Marital Ther. 2019; 45(5):370-377. DOI: 10.1080/0092623X.2018.1531334. View

20.

Harkness E, Mullan B, Mullan B, Blaszczynski A . Association between pornography use and sexual risk behaviors in adult consumers: a systematic review. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2015; 18(2):59-71. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2014.0343. View