Reliability, Validity, and Psychometric Development of the Pornography Consumption Inventory in a Sample of Hypersexual Men

Abstract

This article reports the psychometric evaluation of the Pornography Consumption Inventory (PCI), which was developed to assess motivations for pornography use among hypersexual men. Initial factor structure and item analysis were conducted in a sample of men (N = 105) seeking to reduce their pornography consumption (Study 1), yielding a 4-factor solution. In a second sample of treatment-seeking hypersexual men (N = 107), the authors further investigated the properties of the PCI using confirmatory factor analytic procedures, reliability indices, and explored PCI associations with several other constructs to establish convergent and discriminant validity. These studies demonstrate psychometric evidence for the PCI items that measure tendencies of hypersexual men to use pornography (a) for sexual pleasure; (b) to escape, cope, or avoid uncomfortable emotional experiences or stress; (c) to satisfy sexual curiosity; and (d) to satisfy desires for excitement, novelty, and variety.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported, in part, by Grants P01-DA01070-37 and 5K23DA019522-04 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The authors express their appreciation to the Sexual Recovery Institute and the Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles, California. The clinical staff at these agencies supported the authors’ efforts to conduct research with patients at their respective clinics.

Notes

¹A formatted version of the PCI can be obtained at www.clientchange.com