Psychologists at Ohio State University in Bowling Green identified four different profiles of pornography users. The results were published in the journal Journal of Sex and Marriage Therapy.
Researchers recruited about 400 participants, filled out several questionnaires to assess intimacy, social support, and fear of loneliness. They also completed two surveys on pornography use and motivation to view it. Based on their analysis of the data, the researchers identified four user profiles: unmotivated, “pleasure porn”, motivated, and stressed (participants reported distress while watching porn).
The third profile featured the alleged coercive use of pornography. As the authors noted, people in this group reported more loneliness, fear of intimacy, and less social support compared to other profiles.
“This profile included fewer respondents (9%). The remainder did not have problematic pornography use. The results of our study provide a better understanding of pornography consumption patterns, the authors said.