About This Project

This study asks whether religion can be a source of strength for people struggling with problematic pornography use. We expect that greater religiosity will be linked to a stronger sense of purpose, greater commitment to actions that are consistent with one’s values, and less avoidance of difficult thoughts and emotions. Our hypothesis is that this pathway will ultimately be associated with lower levels of problematic pornography use.

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What is the context of this research?

Problematic pornography use can involve loss of control, distress, and difficulty managing unwanted thoughts and emotions. Research has often focused on risk factors, including frequent use and conflict between pornography use and personal or religious values. However, religion may also provide psychological resources, and prior research links religiosity with a stronger sense of purpose in life. We hypothesize that greater religiosity will be associated with greater purpose, which will promote committed action, defined as the ability to keep pursuing meaningful goals that are consistent with one’s values even when doing so is difficult, and reduce experiential avoidance, defined as attempts to escape, suppress, or avoid uncomfortable thoughts and emotions. We expect this pathway to ultimately be associated with lower problematic pornography use.

What is the significance of this project?

This research may help us better understand how personal beliefs and a sense of purpose relate to problematic pornography use. Rather than viewing religion only as a source of guilt or moral conflict, we examine whether it may also provide psychological resources that support commitment, healthier responses to distress, and less avoidance of difficult emotions. Replicating these findings in a new sample will strengthen confidence in the results and may help guide future prevention, education, and support efforts.

What are the goals of the project?

Our goal is to recruit approximately 600 adults who view pornography and test whether the pathway identified in our first study replicates in a new sample. We expect greater religiosity to be associated with stronger eudaimonic purpose, which will predict greater committed action, lower experiential avoidance, and ultimately lower problematic pornography use. Purpose will be measured using the same six item eudaimonic orientation scale, while committed action and experiential avoidance will be assessed using the full corresponding subscales of the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI). Problematic pornography use will be measured with the CPUI 9, examining perceived compulsivity, access efforts, and emotional distress separately. Replication will be supported when the hypothesized relationships are in the same direction as our first study and their 95% confidence intervals exclude zero. Ethical approval was obtained from the IRB at Florida Gulf Coast University.