Some health-risk correlates of sexually explicit media use by adults

Objectives. Converging evidence from investigations across culturally diverse contexts increasingly indicates that exposure to sexually explicit media (SEM; i.e., pornography) is associated with sexual-risk perceptions and behaviors that include negative attitudes toward condom use, having multiple sex partners, more frequent sexual encounters, more frequent anal intercourse, and testing positive for a sexually transmitted infection. Essentially unexplored, and the focus of this work, are potential non-sexual, physical and mental health corollaries of SEM use.

Methods. Assessments of SEM use (dichotomously coded) and six health indicators (depression, mental-health diminished days, physical-health diminished days, health status, poor quality of life, and BMI) were drawn from a sample of 559 Seattle-Tacoma adults. SEM use by respondent sex ANOVA models were computed.

Results. SEM use was reported by 36.7% (n=205) of the sample. Males (n=160, 78.0%) were more likely to use SEM (OR 7.99, CI 5.36-11.93) than females (n=45, 22%). SEM users, compared to non-users, reported significantly greater depression (MD=0.52, CI 0.32-0.72), poorer quality of life (MD=0.09, CI 0.02-0.16), more mental- (MD=0.15, CI 0.06-0.23) and physical-health (MD=0.11, CI 0.03-0.19) diminished days, and lower health status (MD=-0.26, CI -0.43- -0.09). Respondent sex main effects for mental-health diminished days and poor quality of life also emerged with women higher than men on both measures.

Conclusions. Differences between adult SEM user and non-users across several mental- and physical-health indicators are revealed. The findings highlight important non-sexual factors to consider in the tailoring and targeting of health promotion and disease prevention intervention models for SEM using adults.