Associations between Young Adults' Use of Sexually Explicit Materials and Their Sexual Preferences, Behaviors, and Satisfaction

Abstract

The present study examined how levels of sexually explicit material (SEM) use during adolescence and young adulthood were associated with sexual preferences, sexual behaviors, and sexual and relationship satisfaction. Participants included 782 heterosexual college students (326 men and 456 w omen; M age = 19.9) who completed a questionnaire online. Results revealed high frequencies and multiple types and contexts of SEM use, with men's usage rates systematically higher than women's. Regression analyses revealed that both the frequency of SEM use and number of SEM types viewed were uniquely associated with more sexual experience (a higher number of overall and casual sexual intercourse partners as well as a lower age at first intercourse). Higher frequencies of SEM use were associated with less sexual and relationship satisfaction. The frequency of SEM use and number of SEM types viewed were both associated with higher sexual preferences for the types of sexual practices typically presented in SEM. These findings suggest that SEM use can play a significant role in a variety of aspects of young adults' sexual development processes. Keywords: pornography, sexual development, media, sexual attitudesYoung adulthood is a time a sexual exploration and development (Arnett, 2004;Lefkowitz & Gillen, 2006) and many researchers have explored the role of media in this process, finding that sexual images in mainstream media outlets as well as more sexually explicit materials are important sources of information for adolescents and young adults (e.g., Brown, 2006;Peter & Valkenburg, 2007;Traeen, Sørheim-Nilsen, & Stigum, 2006;Ward, 2003). With the proliferation of available sexually explicit media in the last ten years, researchers are beginning to turn their attention to the ways in which contemporary youth are being impacted by sexually explicit media in particular (e.g., Carroll et al., 2008;Peter & Valkenburg, 2006, 2009Stulhofer, Busko & Landripet, 2010).Despite a long history of research on sexually explicit media, much of this research has become outdated as a result of significant technological shifts that have drastically changed the way people access sexually explicit materials (SEM), namely internet-based access has increased substantially in the last decade (Buzzell, 2005). Additionally, research on SEM has traditionally focused on potential links between SEM and sexual violence (e.g., Bensimon, 2007;Malamuth, Addison, & Koss, 2000;Marshall, 1988) and its associations with sexual compulsions or addiction (e.g. Cooper, Delmonico, & Burg, 2000;Delmonico, 1997) as opposed to its use among non-clinical, normative samples. While these are important areas of investigation, given that many teens and the majority of young adults report viewing sexually explicit media (e.g., Braun-Courville & Rojas, 2009;Cameron et al., 2005), it is also important to examine potential associations between SEM use and more normative sexual and romantic relationship development during young adulthood. As such, the present study seeks ...

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