Perceived Addiction to Internet Pornography among Religious Believers and Nonbelievers

abstract

Prior research suggests that there is a relationship between religiousness and perceived addiction to Internet pornography. This research also suggests a positive relationship between perceived addiction and psychological distress. However, due to the measures of religiousness used, little is known about perceived addiction among nonbelievers in God's existence. In a sample of U.S. adults (N = 713), we found that higher certainty in God's existence was associated with higher levels of perceived addiction. We also found that participants who identified as religious, compared to participants who self-labeled as atheist, agnostic, or “none,” reported higher levels of perceived addiction. Finally, we found that perceived addiction was associated with psychological distress (combining anxiety, depression, and general stress), though effect sizes were small. This relationship was not moderated by religious/nonreligious identity or certainty in God's existence/nonexistence. These findings suggest that perceived addiction to Internet pornography may be a mild risk factor for increased general psychological distress in both believers and nonbelievers, though lower levels of perceived addiction suggest that nonbelievers may be less likely overall to experience psychological distress related to perceived addiction.

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Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the John Templeton Foundation (Grant # 36094) in funding this project.