Problematic Pornography Use in China

Abstract

Purpose of Review China is a typical sexual conservative cultural context country; it is necessary to understand the problematic pornography use (PPU) in China, which may reflect the influence of the conservative culture on PPU. In this review, the pornography use motivation, prevalence, screening scales, diagnosing elements, and intervention situation in China were described. Recent Findings The most preponderant pornography use motivations were self-exploration and seeking education. In line with the international situation in screening PPU, inconsistent assessment resulted in fluctuant prevalence in China. Fortunately, several screening scales were confirmed valid in Chinese sample. The symptoms of PPU among Chinese were similar with samples from other Western countries. More urgently, in China, it appeared there exists a supply–demand imbalance in regards to the prevalence of PPU and the limited treatment options available. Summary Due to the conservative attitude toward sex and pornography, research on pornography use in China is scarce. The Chinese pornography motivations differ from the Western more permissive countries, but the core symptoms of PPU among Chinese are similar with the other Western participants. Actually, in the Chinese public, the prevalence of PPU is high; however, the demand for professional psychotherapy services exceeds the current available resources.

Clarifying and extending our understanding of problematic pornography use through descriptions of the lived experience

“…Indeed, we found no significant evidence that individuals with PPU experience similar dysregulated sexual desires or behaviours for other sexual activities. Instead, PPU appears better characterised by specific usage patterns related to pornographic binges and increasing tolerance and escalation in pornographic use 29 , 63 . We also identified several features of PPU that are not fully accounted for by existing theoretical frameworks, including pornography-related sexual dysfunction and a subjectively altered sexual experience while engaging with pornography.…”

Symptoms of problematic pornography use among help-seeking male adolescents: Latent profile and network analysis

“…Noteworthy, all three groups reported high moral incongruence, and there were no significant differences in moral incongruence scores among the three groups, which may take root in the conservative cultural context in China. China is a typically conservative country in sexual attitudes ( Chen, 2022 ; Chen, Jiang, Wang, et al., 2022 ; Dang, Gorzalka, & Brotto, 2019 ; Zhang et al., 2022 ), and Chinese people tend to express negative attitudes toward pornography use ( Vaillancourt-Morel & Bergeron, 2019 ), and are more likely to feel conflicted, shame, and guilty as using pornography violates their sexual moral values ( Grubbs, Wilt, Exline, & Pargament, 2018 ), no matter how frequent or problematic the actual pornography use is. This conjecture is supported by existing data: the average score in moral incongruence of all the three subgroups in this study was significantly higher than that of community samples from the US ( M = 2.60), and was similar to that of the sample from Christian affiliated universities with conservative attitudes towards sex ( M = 4.60; Grubbs et al., 2015 ).…”

Difference in the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Only-Child Students and Students With Siblings, According to Sex and Region: Findings From the National College Student Survey

“…The rapid development of China over the past 40 years resulted in economic growth and increased globalization ( 1 ). Advancements in areas such as technology and communication provided an abundance of resources for students to mature more rapidly physically and psychosocially, resulting in earlier sexual maturity ( 2 , 3 ). Furthermore, globalization increased the influence of Western populations in China, where sexual experiences in unmarried students are high ( 4 ), creating more liberal attitudes toward sex in Chinese students ( 5 ).…”