An Exploratory Study of Adolescent’s Pornography Viewing Frequency and Condom Attitudes

Gaylord National 

This exploratory study examined the relationship between adolescent pornography viewing and condom attitudes, and tested whether sexual communication moderated this relationship. Data were from 457 youth aged 13-18-years old who completed an online survey assessing pornography viewing frequency, communication with mothers, fathers, and partners, and condom attitudes. Forty-one percent of adolescents had viewed pornography in the past year, with pornography viewing frequency being higher among adolescents aged 16-18, those who had had sex in the past year, and those who identified as White, LGBT+, and male. Adolescents who viewed pornography more frequently had more negative condom attitudes, and this relationship was invariant across age, gender, race, sexual orientation, and sexual intercourse. Additionally, mother, father, and partner communication did not moderate the pornography viewing-condom attitude relationship. Results indicate a need for experimental studies that manipulate the use of condoms in pornography as well as interventions addressing pornography literacy among adolescents.