Compulsive pornography use and mental health among university students

What did the study examine?

The study included 1,031 students over age 18 at one US university. Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire covering pornography use, measures of compulsive use, emotional and sexual states, and the DASS-21 scale for symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.

The researchers investigated which behaviors related to compulsive use and emotional coping were associated with mental-health measures in this student population.

What did it find?

Of the participants, 56.6% reported having viewed pornography at some point in their lives. The analyses found associations between several compulsive behaviors—including difficulty stopping, neglect of responsibilities, restlessness and use when lonely—and depression, anxiety and stress scores.

The study also found that demographic variables, the timing of exposure, and measures of control and social functioning contributed to predicting mental-health scores. The researchers described associations between the variables, not evidence that one caused another.

How should the results be interpreted?

The findings support paying attention to use that impairs daily functioning or is accompanied by distress. However, DASS-21 scores are a symptom-screening measure and do not, by themselves, constitute a clinical diagnosis.

Study limitations

This was a cross-sectional study based on self-report data, so it cannot determine causation or the direction of the associations. The sample came from a single university and had distinctive characteristics; the findings should not be assumed to represent the wider population.