Authors
30/09/2025
The impact of problematic pornography consumption on sexual satisfaction and life satisfaction in Spain and Italy
abstract
The cause of problematic pornography consumption is multifactorial, so any education, prevention, or intervention program addressing this issue should focus on a holistic approach that encompasses them. This research aims to analyze the impact of problematic pornography consumption on individuals’ sexual and life satisfaction. The total sample consisted of 267 participants, distributed between the Spanish population (n = 136) and the Italian population (n = 131). The average age of the Italian population was 22.8 years (SD = 2.95), while the Spanish population was 25.9 (SD = 8.99). A series of questionnaires were applied to measure the variables involved, and simple mediation models were tested. The results revealed that for Italian women, pornography consumption as emotional avoidance significantly influenced their sexual satisfaction (p <.01), as did for Italian (p <.001) and Spanish men (p <.01), although masturbation frequency did not mediate these relationships. However, for Spanish women, masturbation frequency did act as a mediator (p <.01). Regarding the impact of problematic pornography consumption on life satisfaction, in this model, sexual satisfaction did not act as a mediating variable. Nevertheless, the results varied between groups, suggesting complexity in the interaction between these variables.
Keywords:
Problematic pornography use, emotional avoidance, sexual satisfaction, life satisfaction, crosscultural study.