72 / 80
72
christian counseling today
VOL. 22 NO. 1
«
MARK A . YARHOUSE , PSY.D.
research digest
Pornography Use and Sexual Addiction
Religiosity & Internet
Pornography Use
Short, M.B., Kasper, T.E., & Wetterneck, C.T.
(2015). The relationship between religiosity
and Internet pornography use.
Journal of
Religious Health, 54
, 571-583. DOI: 10.1007/
s10943-014-9849-8.
Mary Short and her colleagues at the
University of Houston-Clear Lake
conducted a study of the relationship
between religiosity and Internet
pornography use. Two hundred twenty-
three college students participated in the
study and had been recruited from the
university participant pool or classroom
announcements. The average age was
25 years (SD = 7.96). The sample was
mostly female (85.2%) and heterosexual
(93.3%). Over half (56.1%) were
Caucasian, while 25.6% identified as
Hispanic, 12.6% as African-American,
and 5.8% as other ethnic backgrounds.
Most participants (64%) had viewed
Internet pornography at some point and
26% currently viewed it. The researchers
divided the sample into religious and
non-religious groups. Participants who
identified as either Catholic or Protestant
were designated as religious, while those
who identified as Spiritual, Agnostic,
and Atheist were considered non-
religious. Most of the sample (72.2%)
was religious (44.8% Protestant;
27.4% Catholic), while 27.8% was
non-religious (14.3% Spiritual, 9.9%
Agnostic, and 3.6% Atheist).
Participants were asked about the
effects of Internet pornography on vari-
ous life domains. The domain cited as
having the highest percentage of interfer-
ence among participants was their rela-
tionship with God (16.1%), followed by
their spirituality (14.3%), sleep (6.3%),
and religious participation (4.9%).
The overall findings from the study
were that participants who reported
greater religiosity also expressed less
Internet pornography use. This included
current use, past/ever use, and frequency
of use. The researchers offered this: “…
it may be that lifelong experience in a
religion may establish a strong rejection
toward [Internet pornography] use” (p.
580).
There are a few limitations to the
study, one of which acknowledged
the sample was comprised mostly of
females. Although females can certainly
present with struggles around Internet
pornography use, it is unusual to see
males underrepresented in a study of
this nature.
In any case, Christian counselors
may find it helpful to discuss ways por-
nography use may interfere with religion
and spirituality, which are considered
important domains of functioning and
may be points of considerable distress for
Christian clients.
Pornography, Body Image, and
Well-being
Tylka, T.L. (2015). No harm in looking, right?
Men’s pornography consumptions, body
image, and well-being.
Psychology of Men &
Masculinity, 16
(1), 97-107. DOI: 10.1037/
a0035774.
Tracy Tylka at The Ohio State
University conducted a study on the
use of pornography among men, body
image, and well-being. The sample was
359 male undergraduate students from
a university in the Midwest. Participants
ranged in age from 18 to 47 (M =
20.49; SD = 4.72). Most participants
(82.2%) identified as white, while 5.6%
identified as African-American, 4.5%
as Asian American, 3.6% as multiracial,
and 3.3% as other. First-year students
were overrepresented (79.4%), and
the sample was mostly heterosexual
(96.7%).
In terms of pornography use, 17.8%
of participants in the study indicated
never
using pornography, while 27.6%
indicated
rarely
looking at pornography.
Nearly a third (32.9%) reported
sometimes
using pornography, while
13.6% reported
often
, 4.5%
usually
and
3.6%
always
using pornography.
In terms of analyses, Tylka looked
at two models of men’s body image
and one model of men’s emotional and
interpersonal well-being. Regarding
body image, pornography use was
positively associated with muscularity
and body fat dissatisfaction (by
internalizing a masculine ideal referred
to as a “mesomorphic ideal” of being
“large, but not too large” in one’s
muscular build, p. 97). Pornography
was also negatively connected to body
appreciation through body monitoring.
Regarding men’s emotional and
interpersonal well-being, pornography
use was positively connected to
negative affect in an indirect manner
via avoidance and romantic attachment
anxiety. Pornography use was also
negatively tied to positive affect through
avoidance and relationship attachment
anxiety.
These findings support the idea
that pornography use is related to
internalizing a masculine ideal, which
is tied to muscularity and body
dissatisfaction, adding to pressures in
meeting certain standards of appearance.
Body image can also be a concern
because of the connection to body
monitoring. According to the researcher,
“This pattern of relationships indicates
that men who view pornography are
more likely to focus on how they look
rather than what their body can do for
them, and less likely to challenge cultural
appearance ideals and engage in self-care
behaviors for their body” (p. 103).
These findings also support a link