Sexually explicit media use and relationship satisfaction: a moderating role of emotional intimacy?

ABSTRACT

Using a cross-sectional questionnaire design and a sample of 2284 coupled Croatian adults, this study investigated the association between Sexually Explicit Media (SEM) use and relationship satisfaction. Further, possible moderation of emotional intimacy on the relationship between SEM use and relationship satisfaction was investigated. Controlling for sociodemographic, psychosexual and relationship variables, no significant association between SEM use and relationship satisfaction was found. However, among men, a moderating effect of emotional intimacy was found. Thus, higher SEM use was found to be significantly associated with lower relationship satisfaction only among men who reported lower levels of emotional intimacy with their partner.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexually explicit media
• pornography
• relationship satisfaction
• emotional intimacy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. By ‘emotional intimacy’ we refer to “a perception of closeness to another that is conducive to the sharing of personal feelings, accompanied by expectations of understanding, affirmation, and demonstrations of caring” (Sinclair & Dowdy, 2005, p. 194). This construct should not be conflated with physical or sexual intimacy.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maria Veit

Maria Veit is a psychologist and working as a research assistant at the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen.

Aleksandar Štulhofer

Aleksandar Štulhofer is a professor and head of the Sexology Unit at the Department of Sociology, University of Zagreb.

Gert Martin Hald

Gert Martin Hald is an associate professor and head of the Section of Environmental Health at the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen.