Pornography, attitudes toward condom use and condom use among the adolescents in the city of Rijeka

Abstract

Easily available online pornography prompted concerns among educational experts and the general public about its adverse effects on adolescent psychosocial and sexual development. This study focuses on potential links between pornography use and risky sexual behavior, particularly unprotected sexual intercourse. According to existing research, attitudes toward condom use posit an important predictor of actual condom use. However, relatively few studies have investigated these two pornography-related associations. Informed by the recently developed Acquisition, Activation, Application Model (3AM), this study explores whether adolescents’ use of pornography predicts attitudes toward condom use and actual condom use. Classroom-based data collection was conducted in the period between 2015 and 2018 among high-school sophomores in 14 schools in the city of Rijeka (N=227; Mage=17.3; SD=0.5). Cross-lagged multigroup structural equation modeling with two measurement points was used to assess target associations, controlling for sensation seeking and permissive sexual attitudes. The results reveal that the baseline frequency of pornography use is related to attitudes toward condom use, but only among male adolescents. Nonsignificant associations between pornography use and condom non-use were found for both genders. Recommendations for future research and practical implications of this study are also discussed. Our findings could be useful for experts in education, media literacy, and public health experts, as well as for the general public.