Stress Susceptibility, Affective Responses toward Acute Stressors and Emotion Regulation Strategies in the Context of Problematic Pornography Use

Decision making and executive functions in problematic pornography use

“…At the behavioral level, symptom severity was associated with faster reaction times, indicating better (and not reduced) inhibitory control, which might be explained by increased insula activity during inhibitory control processing ( 41 ). When individuals were under acute stress a higher symptom severity was associated with longer reaction times, indicating reduced inhibitory control ( 40 ). These results indicate that, situational factors might impact executive control abilities.…”

“…Each study part had individual research questions. Results from the online survey ( 36 , 39 ), the stress part of the experimental study ( 40 ) and the fMRI study ( 41 ) have been published previously. Participation in the respective next part was optional.…”

“…The study parts had related but individual research questions. Results from (1) the online survey and (3) the fMRI study parts have been published previously (36,39,41).…”

Increased sensitivity for negative emotional images in individuals with problematic pornography use

“…In a similar vein, the genesis of PPU could potentially be influenced by negative emotional states. For example, individuals with greater severity of PPU tended to experience elevated stress levels in their lives and acute affective responses related to anxiety (Antons et al, 2023 ). Moreover, research has indicated a connection between PPU/CSBD and anomalies in emotional regulation (Cashwell et al, 2017 ; Hashemi et al, 2018 ; Pepping et al, 2018 ).…”