The relationship between pornography use and violence has been extensively researched. Numerous studies suggest that the violent content depicted in pornography may be a risk factor for relationship violence. The current study, therefore, seeks to examine whether pornography use prospectively predicts a particular form of relationship violence—intimate partner violence. Using a large longitudinal sample of university students (N = 892) over a three-month time lag with two waves and a cross-lagged panel design, we found that pornography use does not prospectively predict the perpetration of intimate partner violence, and that the perpetration of intimate partner violence does not prospectively predict pornography use. Further, gender does not moderate these relationships. Finally, strengths, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Pornography use has become widespread and mainstream in American society, with estimates that 60% of men and 35% of women have viewed pornography at some time in the last year. Pornography use has been associated with both positive and negative outcomes depending on the user, and some of these conflicting results may stem from problematic measurement. Using a newly validated measure that assesses frequency, duration, arousal, and deliberate or accidental exposure to seven common types of pornography, we sought to understand whether the motivations to view pornography differed depending on biological sex of the user and the type of use they engaged in. With an MTurk.com sample of 312 participants, we used a variable selection to explore the most consistent predictors of pornography use. Results found that sexually based motivations were consistent motivations to use pornography for both males and females. Educationally based motivations reliably predicted accidental exposure to pornography, while emotions like sadness and tiredness reliably predicted longer durations of pornography use. These results indicate that motivations to view pornography are similar for males and females and that sexually based reasons and emotions are primary in an individual’s decision to use pornography.

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