Is Pornography Use Associated with Sexual Desire and Marital Satisfaction Among Heterosexual Iranian Women?

Abstract

Background: Increasing access to various forms of pornography since the advent of the internet has provided a new context for couples' sexual experiences, but the possibility of adverse effects of pornography on couples' romantic relationships is a concern. Objectives: This study aimed to compare sexual desire and marital satisfaction in 2 groups of married women with and without a history of pornography use in Rafsanjan city, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 254 women with children covered by comprehensive health centers in Rafsanjan city by convenience sampling in 2020. Data collection tools included a demographic characteristics form, Enrich Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire (EMSQ), Hurlbert Index of Sexual Desire (HISD), and Pornography Questionnaire (SPQ). Data were analyzed by chi-square, 2 independent samples, and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS version 21. P values less than or equal to 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: There was a positive and significant relationship between sexual desire and pornography use (P = 0.043). The mean score of marital satisfaction was lower in the pornography user group than in the nonuser group, but it was not statistically significant. Of the 9 components of marital satisfaction, there was a statistically significant difference only in the component of financial management between the 2 groups (P = 0.037). There was no statistically significant relationship between demographic characteristics and pornography use (P > 0.05). Conclusions: It seems that pornography use in married women is related to sexual desire, but in the present study, no relationship was found between pornography use and marital satisfaction. More studies are needed to reveal the relationship between pornography use and the sexual features of women and their partners.