Moderating Role of Sexual Attitudes in the Association between Online Sexual Activity and Problematic Pornography Use: Evidence from the Chinese Community and Help-Seeking Men

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the moderating role of sexual attitudes in the association between online sexual activity (OSA) and problematic pornography use (PPU) in the Chinese context. Specifically, we examined whether incongruence stemming from attitudes (i.e., disapproval of nonmarital and casual sex but engaging in OSA) amplifies the perception of PPU.

Methods

We recruited two samples of Chinese men, one from the community (N₁ = 525) and the other comprising help-seeking individuals (N₂ = 578).

Results

Sexual attitudes moderate the relationship between OSA and PPU in both samples, with the predictive influence of OSA on PPU weakening among individuals with a relatively permissive attitude (scored one SD above the mean of sexual attitudes), and strengthened among individuals with a relatively conservative attitude (scored one SD below the mean of sexual attitudes).

Conclusions

In the conservative sexual cultural context of China, a relatively conservative sexual attitude might strengthen the association between OSA and PPU.

Keywords:

• Online sexual activity (OSA)
• problematic pornography use (PPU)
• sexual attitudes
• conservative cultural context

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of Department of Applied Psychology, Fuzhou University (protocol code: 20220105).

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Data availability statement

The data presented in this study can be requested from the corresponding authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China [Grant No. 19BSH117].