When is Online Pornography Viewing Problematic Among College Males? Examining the Moderating Role of Experiential Avoidance
AUTHOR(S)
PUBLISHED
2012 in Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, Vol. 19, pp. 168–180
KEY FINDINGS
- This study evaluated the effectiveness of conjoint therapy for married couples recovering from husbands’ addictive use; with particular emphasis on restoring trust and the attachment bond.
ABSTRACT
Internet pornography viewing is common among college-aged males, but it is unclear whether and for whom such viewing is problematic. One potential process that may account for whether viewing is problematic is experiential avoidance: seeking to reduce the form, frequency, or situational sensitivity of private experiences even when doing so causes behavioral harm. The current study examined the relationship of Internet pornography viewing and experiential avoidance to a range of psychosocial problems (depression, anxiety,... READ FULL ABSTRACT
EXCERPTS
- "The current study sought to examine the relationship between online pornography viewing frequency and psychosocial problems and the potential moderating role of experiential avoidance among a non-clinical convenience sample of college males. Regression analyses found viewing to be significantly related to greater viewing problems, depression, anxiety, and stress as well as poorer social functioning. Furthermore, viewing continued to predict these variables, except for depression and stress, even after controlling for experiential avoidance, which is known to be a strong predictor of such problems and was confirmed to be so in this study. Experiential avoidance was found to moderate the relationship of viewing to viewing problems and anxiety, such that viewing was related to these variables among individuals at clinical levels of experiential avoidance, but not among individuals at non-clinical levels of experiential avoidance."
