Psychometric Development of the Problematic Pornography Use Scale
AUTHOR(S)
PUBLISHED
2014 in Addictive Behaviors, Vol. 39(5), pp. 861-868
KEY FINDINGS
- Pornography compulsion was found to be associated with higher depression and anxiety.
- Pornography compulsion was found to be linked to lower self-esteem levels among users.
- Compulsive pornography users were found to have less secure attachment in their relationships.
ABSTRACT
Despite the increased social acceptance and widespread use of pornography over the past few decades, reliable and valid instruments assessing problematic use of pornography are lacking. This paper reports the findings of three studies aimed at developing and validating a new scale measuring problematic pornography use. The Problematic Pornography Use Scale (PPUS) items showed high internal consistency, convergent validity, and construct validity. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed four core factors relating... READ FULL ABSTRACT
EXCERPTS
- "In this paper, we propose that pornography use has the potential to become addictive and might be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction. In an effort to fill the gaps in the literature with regard to defining, identifying, and measuring problematic pornography use, we conducted three studies that aimed to establish a valid operational definition and measure of this phenomenon."
- "Individuals who scored higher on the PPUS reported poorer mental health and self-esteem, and more insecure close relationships than those who scored lower, illustrating the negative emotional correlates of problematic pornography use."
- "The correlations between the PPUS and negative consequences of hypersexuality, Internet addiction, and gambling addictions provide some support for our conceptualization of problematic pornography use."
