Explicit Sexual Movie Viewing in the United States According to Selected Marriage and Lifestyle, Work and Financial, Religion and Political Factors (2017)

Frutos, A.M. & Merrill, R.M.

Sexuality & Culture (2017).

doi:10.1007/s12119-017-9438-6

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate explicit sexual movie use among men and women in the United States according to relationship, lifestyle, work, financial, religious, and political factors. Analyses involved 11,372 adults who responded to questions about demographics and explicitly sexual movie use in the General Social Survey (GSS) from 2000 to 2014. Viewing of an explicit sexual movie in the previous year was significantly greater in men than women (35 vs. 16%); Blacks than Whites (33 vs. 22%); and never married (41 vs. 18% married, 31% separated, and 24% divorced). It also decreased with older age, higher education, and more children in the household.

After model adjustment for these variables, viewing an explicit sexual movie was associated with a number of relationship, lifestyle, financial, religious, political, and other variables. For example, viewing such movies was related to less happiness in marriage, multiple sex partners in past year, less satisfaction with one’s financial situation, no religious preference, and a more liberal political orientation.

The effect of some variables on pornography viewing differed between men and women. For example, out of men and women who consider themselves to be “not spiritual”, men were more likely to view pornography than women. Explicit sexual movie viewing is associated with factors from diverse domains, including poorer relationship quality, more liberal sexual views and practices, poorer economic conditions, lower religious orientation or commitment, and more liberal political views.

Keywords Erotica/pornography Couples/marital/love Gender difference Quantitative/statistical/survey Religion GSS

References

  1. Albright, J. (2008). Sex in America online: An exploration of sex, marital status, and sexual identity in internet sex seeking and its impacts. Journal of Sex Research, 45(2), 175–186. doi:10.1080/00224490801987481.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Allen, M., Emmers, T., Gebhardt, L., & Giery, M. A. (1995). Exposure to pornography and acceptance of the rape myth. Journal of Communication, 45(1), 5–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Allen, K., & Lavender-Stott, E. (2015). Family contexts of informal sex education: Young men’s perceptions of first sexual images. Family Relations, 64(3), 393–406. doi:10.1111/fare.12128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Angres, D. H., & Bettinardi-Angres, K. (2008). The disease of addiction: Origins, treatment, and recovery. Disease-a-Month, 54, 696–721.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Baumeister, R. F., Catanese, K. R., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Is there a gender difference in strength of sex drive? Theoretical views, conceptual distinctions, and a review of relevant evidence. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5(3), 242–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Beauregard, E., Lussier, P., & Proulx, J. (2004). An exploration of developmental factors related to deviant sexual preferences among adult rapists. Sexual Abuse A Journal of Research and Treatment, 16(2), 151–161. doi:10.1023/b:sebu.0000023063.94781.bd.Google Scholar
  7. Berridge, K. C., & Robinson, T. E. (2002). The mind of an addicted brain: Neural sensitization of wanting versus liking. In J. T. Cacioppo, G. G. Bernston, R. Adolphs, et al. (Eds.), Foundations in Social Neuroscience (pp. 565–572). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
  8. Boeringer, S. B. (1994). Pornography and sexual aggression: Associations of violent and nonviolent depictions with rape and rape proclivity. Deviant Behavior, 15(3), 289–304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Bridges, A. J., & Morokoff, P. J. (2010). Sexual media use and relational satisfaction in heterosexual couples. Personal Relationships, 18(4), 562–585. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01328.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Burns, R. J. (2002). Male internet pornography consumers’ perception of women and endorsement of traditional female gender roles (p. 11). Austin, Texas: Department of Communication Studies, University of Texas.Google Scholar
  11. Buzzell, T. (2005). Demographic characteristics of persons using pornography in three technological contexts. Sexuality and Culture, 9(1), 28–48. doi:10.1007/bf02908761.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Coleman, E., Horvath, K., Miner, M., Ross, M., Oakes, M., & Rosser, B. (2009). Compulsive sexual behavior and risk for unsafe sex among internet using men who have sex with men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(5), 1045–1053. doi:10.1007/s10508-009-9507-5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Dew, B., Brubaker, M., & Hays, D. (2006). From the altar to the internet: Married men and their online sexual behavior. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 13(2–3), 195–207. doi:10.1080/10720160600870752.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Doran, K., & Price, J. (2014). Pornography and marriage. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 35(4), 489–498. doi:10.1007/s10834-014-9391-6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Durrant, J., & Ensom, R. (2012). Physical punishment of children: lessons from 20 years of research. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 184(12), 1373–1377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Evert, J. (2016). Pornography. Catholiceducation.org. Retrieved 1 September 2016, from http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/marriage-and-family/parenting/pornography.html.
  17. Fisher, W., Kohut, T., Di Gioacchino, L., & Fedoroff, P. (2013). Pornography, sex crime, and paraphilia. Current Psychiatry Reports. doi:10.1007/s11920-013-0362-7.Google Scholar
  18. Flisher, C. (2010). Getting plugged in: An overview of internet addiction. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 46, 557–559.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Foubert, J., & Bridges, A. (2015). What is the attraction? Pornography use motives in relation to bystander intervention. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. doi:10.1177/0886260515596538.Google Scholar
  20. Georgiadis, J. R. (2006). Regional cerebral blood flow changes associated with clitorally induced orgasm in healthy women. European Journal of Neuroscience, 24(11), 3305–3316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. GSS General Social Survey (2016). Retrieved from http://gss.norc.org/.
  22. Harper, C., & Hodgins, D. (2016). Examining correlates of problematic internet pornography use among university students. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 5(2), 179–191. doi:10.1556/2006.5.2016.022.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Hilton, D. L. (2013). Pornography addiction—A supranormal stimulus considered in the context of neuroplasticity. Socioaffective Neuroscience & Psychology, 3, 20767. doi:10.3402/snp.v3i0.20767.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Hudson Jr., D. (2002). Pornography & obscenity | First Amendment Center—news, commentary, analysis on free speech, press, religion, assembly, petition. Firstamendmentcenter.org. Retrieved 1 September 2016, from http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/pornography-obscenity.
  25. Kafka, M. P. (2000). The paraphilia-related disorders: Nonparaphilic hypersexuality and sexual compulsivity/addiction. In S. R. Leiblum & R. C. Rosen (Eds.), Principles and Practice of Sex Therapy (3rd ed., pp. 471–503). New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
  26. Kim, S., & Lee, C. (2015). Factors affecting sexually transmitted infections in South Korean high school students. Public Health Nursing, 33(3), 179–188. doi:10.1111/phn.12211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Kingston, D., Fedoroff, P., Firestone, P., Curry, S., & Bradford, J. (2008). Pornography use and sexual aggression: The impact of frequency and type of pornography use on recidivism among sexual offenders. Aggressive Behavior, 34(4), 341–351. doi:10.1002/ab.20250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Kraus, S., Martino, S., & Potenza, M. (2016). Clinical characteristics of men interested in seeking treatment for use of pornography. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 5(2), 169–178. doi:10.1556/2006.5.2016.036.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Lambert, N., Negash, S., Stillman, T., Olmstead, S., & Fincham, F. (2012). A love that doesn’t last: Pornography consumption and weakened commitment to one’s romantic partner. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 31(4), 410–438. doi:10.1521/jscp.2012.31.4.410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Layden, M. A. (2010). Pornography and violence: A new look at the research. In J. Stoner & D. Hughes (Eds.), The social costs of pornography: A collection of papers (pp. 57–68). Princeton, NJ: Witherspoon Institute.Google Scholar
  31. MacInnis, C., & Hodson, G. (2014). Do American sates with more religious or conservative populations search more for sexual content on Google? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44(1), 137–147. doi:10.1007/s10508-014-0361-8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Maddox, A., Rhoades, G., & Markman, H. (2009). Viewing sexually-explicit materials alone or together: Associations with relationship quality. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(2), 441–448. doi:10.1007/s10508-009-9585-4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Malamuth, N., Addison, T., & Koss, M. (2012). Pornography and sexual aggression: Are there reliable effects and can we understand them? Annual Review of Sex Research, 11(1), 26–91.Google Scholar
  34. Mesch, G. (2009). Social bonds and Internet pornographic exposure among adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 32(3), 601–618. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2008.06.004.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. Paul, P. (2007). Pornified: How pornography is transforming our lives, our relationships, and our families (pp. 155–156). New York, NY: Henry Hold and Co.Google Scholar
  36. Paul, P. (2010). From pornography to porno to porn: How porn became the norm. In J. Stoner & D. Hughes (Eds.), The social costs of pornography: A collection of papers (pp. 3–20). Princeton, NJ: Witherspoon Institute.Google Scholar
  37. Perry, S. (2016a). Does viewing pornography reduce marital quality over time? Evidence from longitudinal data. Archives of Sexual Behavior. doi:10.1007/s10508-016-0770-y.Google Scholar
  38. Perry, S. (2016b). From bad to worse? Pornography consumption, spousal religiosity, gender, and marital quality. Sociology Forum, 31(2), 441–464. doi:10.1111/socf.12252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. Poulsen, F. O., Busby, D. M., & Galovan, A. M. (2013). Pornography use: Who uses it and how it is associated with couple outcomes. The Journal of Sex Research, 50(1), 72–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. Rasmussen, K., & Bierman, Alex. (2016). How does religious attendance shape trajectories of pornography use across adolescence? Journal of Adolescence, 49, 191–203. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.03.017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Regan, P. C., & Atkins, L. (2006). Sex differences and similarities in frequency and intensity of sexual desire. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 34(1), 95–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. Romito, P., & Beltramini, L. (2011). Watching pornography: Gender differences, violence and victimization. An exploratory study in Italy. Violence Against Women, 17(10), 1313–1326. doi:10.1177/1077801211424555.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Ross, M. W., Mansson, S. A., & Daneback, K. (2014). Prevalence, severity, and correlates of problematic sexual internet use in Swedish men and women. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41(2), 459–466.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Rothman, E., & Adhia, A. (2015). Adolescent pornography use and dating violence among a sample of primarily black and Hispanic, urban-residing, underage youth. Behavioral sciences, 6(1), 1–11. doi:10.3390/bs6010001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  45. Sherkat, D. E., & Ellison, C. G. (1997). The cognitive structure of a moral crusade: Conservative Protestantism and opposition to pornography. Social Forces, 75(3), 957–982.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  46. Silver, A. (2010). What the bible has to say about sex. Time. http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2027582,00.html.
  47. Stack, S., Wasserman, I., & Kern, R. (2004). Adult social bonds and use of internet pornography. Social Science Quarterly, 85(1), 75–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  48. Stanley, N., Barter, C., Wood, M., Aghtaie, N., Larkins, C., Lanau, A., et al. (2016). Pornography, sexual coercion and abuse and sexting in young people’s intimate relationships. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. doi:10.1177/0886260516633204.Google Scholar
  49. Stein, D., Black, D., Shapira, N., & Spitzer, R. (2001). Hypersexual disorder and preoccupation with internet pornography. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(10), 1590–1594. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.158.10.1590.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  50. Sümer, Z. (2014). Gender, religiosity, sexual activity, sexual knowledge, and attitudes toward controversial aspects of sexuality. Journal of Religion and Health, 54(6), 2033–2044. doi:10.1007/s10943-014-9831-5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  51. Tjaden, P. G. (1988). Pornography and sex education. The Journal of Sex Research, 24, 208–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  52. Tokunaga, R., Wright, P., & McKinley, C. (2014). U.S. adults’ pornography viewing and support for abortion: A three-wave panel study. Health Communication, 30(6), 577–588. doi:10.1080/10410236.2013.875867.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  53. Tolman, D. L., Striepe, M. I., & Harmon, T. (2003). Gender matters: Constructing a model of adolescent sexual health. Journal of Sex Research, 40, 4–12. doi:10.1080/00224490309552162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  54. West, J. (1999). (Not) talking about sex: Youth, identity and sexuality. Sociological Review, 47, 525–547. doi:10.1111/1467-954X.00183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  55. Willoughby, B., Carroll, J., Busby, D., & Brown, C. (2015). Differences in pornography use among couples: Associations with satisfaction, stability, and relationship processes. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45(1), 145–158. doi:10.1007/s10508-015-0562-9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  56. Wright, P. (2012a). A longitudinal analysis of US adults’ pornography exposure. Journal of Media Psychology, 24(2), 67–76. doi:10.1027/1864-1105/a000063.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  57. Wright, P. (2012b). Pornography consumption, cocaine use, and casual sex among U.S. adults. Psychological Reports, 111(1), 305–310. doi:10.2466/18.02.13.pr0.111.4.305-310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  58. Wright, P. (2013). U.S. males and pornography, 1973–2010: Consumption, predictors, correlates. Journal of Sex Research, 50(1), 60–71. doi:10.1080/00224499.2011.628132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  59. Wright, P., & Bae, S. (2013). Pornography consumption and attitudes toward homosexuality: A national longitudinal study. Human Communication Research, 39(4), 492–513. doi:10.1111/hcre.12009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  60. Wright, P., Bae, S., & Funk, M. (2013). United States women and pornography through four decades: Exposure, attitudes, behaviors, individual differences. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42(7), 1131–1144. doi:10.1007/s10508-013-0116-y.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  61. X Rating. (2008) West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2. (2008). Retrieved July 22 2016 from http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/X+Rating.
  62. Yang, X. (2015). Is social status related to internet pornography use? Evidence from the early 2000s in the United States. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45(4), 997–1009. doi:10.1007/s10508-015-0584-3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  63. Zillmann, D. (1986). Effects of prolonged consumption of pornography. Surgeon General’s Workshop on Pornography and Public Health, Arlington, Virginia. https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/ps/access/NNBCKV.pdf.
  64. Zillmann, D. (2000). Influence of unrestrained access to erotica on adolescents’ and young adults’ dispositions toward sexuality. Journal of Adolescent Health, 27(2), 41–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar