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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Relational monogamy, condomless sex, and perceptions of pornography as sexual information in an English sample

Paul J. Wright A E , Ekra Miezan B , Chyng Sun C and Nicola J. Steffen D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A The Media School, Indiana University, 601 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.

B Graduate School of International and Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, South Korea.

C NYU School of Professional Studies, East 12th Street, Suite 921, New York, NY 10003, USA.

D Independent consultant, Berlin, Germany.

E Corresponding author. Email: paulwrig@indiana.edu

Sexual Health 16(1) 70-74 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH18050
Submitted: 24 March 2018  Accepted: 28 July 2018   Published: 19 October 2018

Abstract

Background: This study assessed perceptions of pornography as a source of sexual information and condomless sex among a heterosexual sample of sexually active adult pornography consumers in England. Methods: Participants were drawn from an anonymous online survey of culture and sexuality. Results: There was no association between perceiving pornography as a source of sexual information and condomless sex among participants who were in monogamous relationships. Conversely, perceiving pornography as a source of sexual information was associated with condomless sex among participants who were not in monogamous relationships. Conclusion: The results of this study further the research literature on pornography and condomless sex in two ways. First, they suggest that studies that do not take relational monogamy into account may falsely conclude that pornography and condomless sex are unrelated. Second, they suggest that in addition to assessing the use of pornography, studies should measure the degree to which pornography is seen as a means of sexual pedagogy.

Additional keywords: sexual risk, sexual script acquisition, activation, application model (3AM).


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