The usage of pornography doesn’t impact the assessment of the self or others, says new research. The findings of this research were published in Sexual and Relationship Therapy.
The usage of online sexually explicit material (oSEM) has increased, raising questions about its potential effects on mental health. Scientific findings continue to be contradictory despite the growing interest. Some research has suggested a link between the use of oSEM and unfavorable outcomes such as decreased sexual pleasure, an increase in sexist attitudes, and decreased body satisfaction. Other research highlights advantages including increased sexual satisfaction.
Study Author Ruth Charig and her team wanted to explore the topic through the lens of the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model (DSMM). They wanted to do this in order to clarify the relationship between mental health outcomes and oSEM use.
252 heterosexual men and women were questioned in an online survey on the frequency of their usage of online pornography. The survey even estimated their mental well-being, body satisfaction, sexist attitudes toward men, sexist attitudes towards men, and sexual satisfaction.
The first results showed 79% of participants had used oSEM in the last three months. 85% of respondents used oSEM in their lifetime. As much as 80% of people reported that they believed the sex portrayed in oSEM is “unrealistic” or “somewhat unrealistic”.
These results also revealed that there is no significant relationship between oSEM use and mental well-being. Body satisfaction, sexual pleasure. Moreover, the analysis also found no evidence for the mediating role of perceived realism in the correlation between oSEM use and any of the mentioned outcomes.
The study, “A lack of association between online pornography exposure, sexual functioning, and mental well-being”, was authored by Ruth Charig, Nima G. Moghaddam, David L. Dawson, Hannah L. Merdian, and Roshan Das Nair.
Source: Ghana/MaxTV/MaxFM/max.com.gh/Belinda Quansah
