Pornography, Masculinity, and Sexual Aggression on College Campuses

Abstract

Past research has indicated that there is a relationship between pornography consumption and sexually aggressive behavior. This study sought to expand an understanding of that relationship by examining measures of masculinity among a sample of undergraduate heterosexual males ( N = 152) along with pornography consumption variables to assess the predictive value that both pornography consumption and varying levels of masculinity have on sexual aggression. Linear regression analyses indicate that males who had higher scores on the Likelihood of Sexual Force (LSF) measure consumed pornography more often and were more likely to watch male-dominant pornography. In addition, males who had higher scores on LSF exhibited higher masculinity scores on two scales. Results are discussed in the context of the complexities of masculinity and pornography consumption and the implications for prevention programs on college campuses.

Prospective Associations Between Pornography Viewing and Sexual Aggression Among Adolescents

“…We present valid percentages; because some adolescents selected "I decline to answer," or did not take the survey, numbers do necessarily add to the total N. W = wave. younger adolescents (our sample averaged age 12 at the first timepoint), whereas previous research on pornography and sexual aggression has largely focused on young adults (e.g., de Heer et al, 2020;Rothman & Adhia, 2016;Sun et al, 2016). Further, this study is the first to our knowledge to examine sexual harassment perpetration specifically.…”

“…As such, we examined these reciprocal links across five time points controlling for previous behaviors; this design is stronger than previous cross‐sectional designs although it does not indicate causality. This paper also provides a unique examination of younger adolescents (our sample averaged age 12 at the first timepoint), whereas previous research on pornography and sexual aggression has largely focused on young adults (e.g., de Heer et al., 2020; Rothman & Adhia, 2016; Sun et al., 2016). Further, this study is the first to our knowledge to examine sexual harassment perpetration specifically.…”

“…Multiple studies have suggested that viewing pornography increases risk for sexual aggression perpetration (Wright, Tokunaga, & Kraus, 2016; Ybarra & Thompson, 2018). However, most of these studies focus on older adolescents or young adults (de Heer, Prior, & Hoegh, 2020; Rothman & Adhia, 2016; Sun et al., 2016); it is particularly important to also understand the impact of pornography viewing on younger adolescents, who are starting to initiate sexual behaviors: 11% and 16% of American 15‐year‐old female and male adolescents, respectively, have had sexual intercourse, a number that increases to 55% for both female and male adolescents at the age of 18 (Abma & Martinez, 2017). In this paper, we examine these issues among a sample of middle‐ and high‐school students.…”

Effects of exposure to sexually explicit material on sexually violent behavior among first-year university men in Vietnam

“…Prominent among these are cultivation theory, which posits that media consumption affects the viewer’s perceptions and expectations about the real world [ 27 ], and social-cognitive theory, which suggests that human behavior is influenced by multilevel factors including self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and perceived environmental barriers and facilitators [ 28 ]. Thus, several studies have examined the impact of SEM exposure on attitudes, such as rape myth acceptance [ 29 – 31 ], beliefs about gender roles [ 7 ], self-reported masculinity [ 32 ], and adversarial sexual beliefs [ 30 , 31 ] to explain the potential impact of SEM on behavior. Uses-and-gratifications theory, which views media effects through the lens of individual desires and needs [ 33 ], also has been used to frame individual differences in propensity to access SEM [ 26 , 29 ], suggesting a more reciprocal relationship between SEM use and sexually violent behavior.…”

Ambivalent sexist attitudes of young adolescents from the province of Jaén: Regarding the use of sexual and/or pornographic content on the internet

“…Pornography is used irrespective of gender, although male use dominates [10][11][12][13][14]. The purpose of such use is usually masturbation, with a positive physical, but not psychological, impact in terms of satisfaction, both for oneself and for couples who use it [10].…”