Problematic pornography use is linked to craving, shame, depression, and loneliness, meta-analysis finds
A meta-analysis of 121,728 participants finds that problematic pornography use is most strongly linked to craving and sexual shame, with smaller links to depression and loneliness. How strong these links appear may depend on the measure used.
A recent meta-analysis of 111 studies has found that problematic pornography use is often linked to cravings, sexual shame, depression, loneliness, emotion dysregulation, and moral disapproval. The strength of these associations varied across studies and may depend on how problematic use is measured. Problematic pornography use refers to difficulties controlling one's use, feeling preoccupied with pornography, or experiencing distress about it, rather than the frequency of viewing.
The analysis, published in Addictive Behaviors Reports, included data from 121,728 participants, with an average age of 27.5 years and 46% being female. The strongest associations were found between problematic pornography use and cravings (correlation of 0.54) and sexual shame (correlation of 0.54). Other notable associations included depression (0.32), emotion dysregulation (0.29), moral disapproval (0.27), and loneliness (0.23).
However, the study's results varied widely, and the authors caution that these findings represent average tendencies rather than universally applicable effects.
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