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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 21(3)

Adolescents’ pornography viewing frequency and its relationship with condom attitudes

Emily F. Galper https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7986-1107 A * , Laura Widman https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8117-5467 B , Julia Brasileiro https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6936-6965 B and Seth M. Noar https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3453-5391 A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

B Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.

* Correspondence to: egalper@unc.edu

Handling Editor: Megan Lim

Sexual Health 21, SH24025 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH24025
Submitted: 7 February 2024  Accepted: 2 May 2024  Published: 20 May 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Background

This study examined adolescent pornography viewing and its’ relationship with condom attitudes.

Methods

Data were from 457 adolescents aged 13–18 years old who completed an online survey assessing pornography viewing frequency and condom attitudes.

Results

Many adolescents in our sample had viewed pornography in the past year (n = 188, 41%), with pornography viewing frequency being higher among older adolescents (P = 0.02), those who have had sex in the past year (P = 0.001), and those who identified as White (P = 0.01), LGB+ (P = 0.05), and male (P = 0.001). Adolescents who viewed pornography more frequently had more negative condom attitudes (r = −0.18, P < 0.001), and this relationship was invariant across age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and sexual intercourse status.

Conclusions

A substantial proportion of adolescents in our sample viewed pornography and those who view more frequently had more negative condom attitudes. Results indicate a need for experimental studies examining this relationship and interventions addressing pornography literacy among adolescents.

Keywords: adolescents, condom attitudes, health promotion, media effects, pornography, pornography viewing frequency, sexual health, sexuality.

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