Pornography and Romantic Relationships: A Qualitative Examination of Individual Experiences

Abstract

Using a qualitative design, the current study explored the perceived effects of pornography use on romantic relationships. Thematic analysis was conducted on 588 participants’ open ended responses to a question about the effect of pornography use on their relationship and sexual satisfaction within a larger survey assessing aspects of couples media use and relationship dynamics. Participant responses were categorized into three overarching themes; beneficial, detrimental, and neither entirely beneficial or detrimental effects of pornography use. The most common responses indicated that the participants reported no effects of pornography use on their relationship. Among those indicating a positive effect, the emergent themes centered on increased diversity of sexual experiences, increased sexual gratification, increased satisfaction with a partner, and increased erotic climate in a relationship. Among responses indicating a negative experience with pornography, identified themes included increased feelings of inadequacy, decreased sexual satisfaction in a relationship, a feeling of unrealistic expectations, and feelings of betrayal. Implications for more nuanced research and clinical applications are discussed.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest in the publication of this paper.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported in part by The Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma.