Use of sexually explicit materials was associated with the types of sexual behaviors reported by a sample of Dutch teenagers and young adults in 2008–2009, but it made just a small contribution to the variance in those behaviors.[1] Nine in 10 males and nearly half of females surveyed had used sexually explicit materials in the previous 12 months. Frequency of use of such materials was positively associated with reports of adventurous sex or transactional sex; for women, it also was linked to reports of risky behavior within partnerships. These associations accounted for up to 4% of variance detected in the analytic models.

Noting that previous work on the relationship between consumption of sexually explicit materials and sexual behavior has focused on outcomes related to STDs or sexual coercion, researchers set out to conduct "a more robust assessment" by examining data on a broad range of sexual behaviors among young people in the Netherlands. In 2008–2009, they recruited 15–25-year-olds with any type of sexual experience to participate in an online survey that asked about sexual behaviors, dispositions and attitudes; use of sexually explicit materials (Web sites, magazines, DVDs and other media); media use; and social and demographic characteristics. They conducted hierarchical multiple regression analyses to identify characteristics associated with three broad sexual outcome measures: adventurous sex (reflecting experience with threesomes, a same-sex partner or a partner whom the respondent met online); risky behavior with partners (based on age at first intercourse, history of one-night stands and lifetime number of partners); and transactional sex (assessing whether respondents had ever paid or received money or something else in exchange for sex).

The sample consisted of 4,600 young people—1,402 males and 3,198 females. Respondents were predominantly 20 or younger; most were of Dutch or other Western origin, had no more than a secondary education and did not consider religion important. Half of men and six in 10 women were currently in a relationship.

Some 88% of male participants and 45% of females reported having used sexually explicit materials in the last 12 months. The majority of men giving this response said they had used such materials at least a few times a month, whereas the majority of women said they had done so less than once a month. The most frequently used type of sexually explicit material was hardcore pornography (reported by 84% of male and 70% of female users), and the most frequently reported outlet was the Internet (89% and 70%).

In an analysis adjusting for background characteristics and sexual attitudes, men's likelihood of having had adventurous sex was positively associated with age, education and level of sexual sensation-seeking (coefficients, 0.06–0.21); it was negatively associated with being in a relationship and social integration, or the degree to which one feels socially appreciated (−0.06 and −0.10, respectively). For women, this outcome was positively correlated with age, level of sexual sensation-seeking and ability to initiate wanted sex (0.04–0.18); it was negatively correlated with being in a relationship, respondents’ relationship with their parents, social integration and TV use (−0.04 to −0.06). When use of sexually explicit materials was added to the models, it was associated with adventurous sex for both males and females (0.11 and 0.23, respectively), and was responsible for 1–4% of the explained variance.

Similarly, findings for transactional sex largely differed by gender. Among men, the likelihood of reporting this outcome was elevated among non-Westerners and increased with levels of approval of sexual coercion and sexual sensation-seeking (coefficients, 0.12–0.15); it declined with level of social integration (−0.09). Sexual sensation-seeking, approval of sexual coercion and ability to initiate sex were positively associated with elevated levels of transactional sex among women (0.04–0.11); ability to refuse unwanted sex was associated with a reduced likelihood of women's reporting this outcome (−0.10). Use of sexually explicit materials was significant for men and women (0.08 and 0.16, respectively), and accounted for 1–2% of the variance explained by study measures.

A somewhat different picture emerged for reports of risky behaviors within partnerships. A large number of variables were related to the outcome in initial analyses—including, for both men and women, being in a relationship (coefficients, –0.10 and −0.19, respectively), sexual sensation-seeking (0.23 and 0.26) and sexual self-esteem (0.10 and 0.08). However, use of sexually explicit materials was significant only for women (0.07), and it added less than 1% to the explained variance.

The researchers note that interpretation of their findings is somewhat problematic because of the study's cross-sectional design; furthermore, the nature of the sample and the "relatively…open climate" of sexuality in the Netherlands limit the generalizability of the results. At the same time, they write, the findings offer "insights to address the substantial public and scientific concerns about possible effects of [sexually explicit materials] consumption on at least some sexual behaviors." They encourage future work to assess possible indirect associations between use of these materials and sexual behaviors, and to examine use of sexually explicit materials "as one of a number of…factors that each hold only small associations with the outcome of interest."—D. Hollander

Reference

1. Hald GM et al., Does viewing explain doing? Assessing the association between sexually explicit materials use and sexual behaviors in a large sample of Dutch adolescents and young adults, Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2013, doi: 10.1111/jsm.12157, accessed Apr. 26, 2013.