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

Abstract

Background and aims Little data exist on exploring the subgroups and characteristics of problematic pornography use (PPU) in help-seeking adolescents. The aims of the study were to classify the subgroups among help-seeking male adolescents, explore their similarities and differences, and uncover their core symptoms. Methods A total of 3,468 Chinese male adolescents (M age = 16.64 years, SD = 1.24) who were distressed about their pornography use were recruited. The Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale, the Brief Pornography Screen Scale, and Moral Disapproval of Pornography Use were used to classify them. The General Health Questionnaire, the Pornography Craving Questionnaire, and the Sexual Compulsivity Scale were used to investigate participants' negative consequence related to their pornography use; and the Online Sexual Activity Questionnaire (OSAs) and time spent on pornography use every week were considered as quantitative indicators. Results Help-seeking male adolescents could be divided into 3 profiles, namely, self-perceived problematic (SP, n = 755), impaired control (IC, n = 1,656), and problematic use groups (PPU, n = 1,057). Frequency of OSAs was important for the identification of SP individuals, while negative consequences were more effective in identifying individuals with objective dysregulated behavior. Salience and mood modification were shared by all groups; however, in addition to this, the SP and PPU groups also showed withdrawal symptoms. Discussion and conclusion This study's results provide support for the presence of different profiles of help-seeking individuals and information on potential intervention targets among adolescents which is lacking in the literature.

Withdrawal-like Symptoms in Problematic Pornography Use: A Scoping Review

“…According to our scoping review, withdrawal symptoms may represent core symptoms of PPU 27–29 . These findings, although preliminary, may represent an argument in favor of understanding PPU within the addiction framework 16,17,41 .…”

“…Studies based on the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS-18) or the short version of the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS-6) 27–29 described that the items assessing withdrawal symptoms were considered central symptoms of PPU in their samples. In addition, one of these studies 28 described that participants who were considering treatment for their pornography use reported significantly higher scores in the withdrawal symptoms item of the PPCS-6 in comparison with the not-considering treatment group.…”

“…According to one study, participants with PPU presented higher levels of withdrawal symptoms (in general and for each investigated symptom) in comparison with those without PPU; the severity of withdrawal symptoms was associated with the severity of PPU, as well as with the frequency of pornography use; and in linear regression analysis, withdrawal symptoms were a significant predictor of PPU severity 7 . Studies based on the PPCS-18 or the PPCS-6 27–29 described that withdrawal symptoms were considered central symptoms of PPU in their samples and were significantly higher in treatment-considering individuals. Lastly, in one investigation, several participants reported that masturbating (with the use of sexual fantasies) during periods of porn abstinence helped with reducing/remitting withdrawal-like symptoms 20 …”

Investigating the Associations of ADHD Symptoms, Impulsivity, Physical Exercise, and Problematic Pornography Use in a Chinese Sample

“…Moreover, one of the potential reasons for the stronger association in this study compared to previous work [ 18 ] might relate to the different cultural context where the samples were recruited. Most studies reported that Chinese people’s attitude toward sex is more conservative [ 70 ], and they are more likely to experience guilty and conflicted as using pornography [ 71 ]. Therefore, when the participants with high levels of ADHD symptoms used pornography to cope with their stressful situations, they may be inclined to think that they have used “too much”, and then scored higher in BPS.…”

Exploring the association between Twitch use and well-being.

“…A significant p value ( p < .05) indicates that a model with more classes is appropriate. However, the p value is sensitive to sample size; therefore, the p value can remain nonsignificant in larger samples (Bőthe et al, 2020; Jiang et al, 2022). Based on the classification derived from the LPA, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy for PUTS cutoff scores were reported (Altman & Bland, 1994a, 1994b; Glaros & Kline, 1988).…”