Goldsmith, Kaitlyn, Cara R. Dunkley, Silvain S. Dang, and Boris B. Gorzalka.
The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality (2017): 1-12.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kaitlyn Goldsmith, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada. Email: [email protected]
https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.262-a2
Abstract
The often narrow representations of sexual performance and physical attractiveness in pornography may be linked to sexual concerns and sexual expectations among young men and women (e.g., body- and performance-related sexual distractions, negative genital self-image, expectations of one’s partner). Investigation of the relations between these constructs is needed to assess the potential impact of pornography on young adult’s sexual lives. Undergraduate men (n=333) and women (n=668) completed an online survey assessing pornography viewership, body- and performance-related cognitive distractions during sexual activity, genital self-image, and pornography-based partner expectations. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that visual pornography viewership was uniquely associated with higher partner performance expectations among women. Among men, visual pornography viewership was uniquely associated with body- and performance-related cognitive distractions during sexual activity. Literary pornography use was not uniquely associated with these variables among men or women. The results of this investigation suggest that individuals who consume visual pornography may experience some forms of sexual insecurity and sexual expectations related to their pornography use. Importantly, many sexual concerns were unrelated to pornography consumption, which is consistent with research in favour of pornography consumption as a healthy sexual outlet for young adults.
KEY WORDS: Body image, cognitive distractions during sexual activity, genital self-image, partner expectations, pornography, sexual body esteem, sexual insecurities, sexually explicit material
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