{"id":10788,"date":"2016-08-03T17:08:53","date_gmt":"2016-08-03T17:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.viamedic.com\/blog\/?p=2975"},"modified":"2016-08-03T17:08:53","modified_gmt":"2016-08-03T17:08:53","slug":"can-too-much-porn-lead-to-sexual-dysfunction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/can-too-much-porn-lead-to-sexual-dysfunction\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Too Much Porn Lead to Sexual Dysfunction?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sexual
Researchers question whether overexposure to online pornography and other online sexual activities is having a negative effect on some men’s sexual function.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Internet Age has given men across the globe ready access to pornographic content as varied as the human imagination and beyond. Confronted with certain medical anomalies, such as an increase in sexual dysfunction among men of a younger age than was previously observed, medical researchers are questioning what, if any, link might exist between omnipresent porn and this rise in sexual dysfunction.<\/p>\n

In an attempt to find answers to this question, a number of research studies have been undertaken. One of the more recent of these studies was conducted by two researchers associated with the Laboratory for Experimental Psychopathology at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, Belgium’s largest French-speaking university. The Belgian study was published in the March 1, 2016, issue of “Computers in Human Behavior.”<\/a><\/p>\n

Online Sexual Activities Explored<\/b><\/p>\n

Joel Billieux, a professor of clinical psychology and psychopathology at the university, teamed with Aline Wery, a doctoral candidate and teaching assistant at the university, to take a closer look at the online sexual activities of males. The goal of their study was to pinpoint, if possible, how and when such activities can become problematic for the men involved.<\/p>\n

The researchers recruited a large number of French-speaking men who were reached via social networks, research networks, sexuality forums, and the university’s messaging service. Weeding through the applicants who volunteered for the study, they eventually settled on 434 participants they felt were qualified for the study. All men were 18 or older, and the mean age of the participants was 29.5. And all participants were men who had engaged in online sexual activities in the previous three months.<\/p>\n

Participants Fill Out Survey<\/b><\/p>\n

All participants were required to fill out a 91-item survey that covered six key areas of inquiry. These six sections included:<\/p>\n

1. Fourteen questions dealing with sociodemographic variables, such as age, educational background, occupation, sexual orientation, relationship status, number of sexual partners in the past year, and type of partner (girl\/boyfriend, sex buddy, or paid sex worker).<\/p>\n

2. Twenty-five questions covering the specifics of the participant’s online sexual activities over the previous three months. These questions covered a wide array of topics, including the amount of time devoted to such activities each week, where such activities were done (at home, at work, or elsewhere), and the respondent’s level of involvement in different types of activities as gauged by a five-point rating scale ranging from “never” to “very often.” Other questions in this section of the survey dealt with the type of online sexual activities preferred, money spent in pursuit of these activities, frequency of masturbation, and possible influence of online activities on the respondent’s offline, real-time sexuality.<\/p>\n

\"Sexual
Researchers have found that some forms of online sexual activity are highly addictive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n Identifying Problematic Activities<\/b><\/p>\n

3. Twelve questions designed to indicate which, if any, online activities had become problematic for the respondent. Researchers used the format of an Internet Addiction Test that had been adapted specifically to measure online sexual activities. Questions in this section sought to identify addictive patterns of use, such as negative impact on daily life and loss of control. Each question was scored on a five-point rating scale from “never” to “always.”<\/p>\n

4. Twenty-three questions designed to pinpoint respondents’ motives for engaging in online sexual activities. Responses were scored on a five-point rating scale ranging from “never” to “always.” Among the motives that respondents could select were boredom, sexual gratification, learning new sexual techniques, enhancement of existing sexual techniques, and an opportunity to enjoy sexual behaviors in the absence of offline sexual activity.<\/p>\n

Sexual Dysfunction Present?<\/b><\/p>\n

5. Fifteen questions, based on the International Index of Erectile Function, designed to identify the presence — and severity — of various forms of sexual dysfunction. Of the 15 questions, six dealt with erectile function, two with orgasmic function, two with sexual desire, three with intercourse satisfaction, and two with overall sexual satisfaction.<\/p>\n

6. Two questions assessing respondents’ self-perceived problematic involvement with online sexual activities. Each respondent was asked to indicate if he believed his online activities were or were not problematic, based on a four-point rating scale ranging from “not problematic” to “very problematic.” Those who indicated that online activities had become problematic for them were asked — yes or no — if they had sought outside counseling to deal with the problem.<\/p>\n

\"Sexual
Overexposure to more extreme forms of sexual expression, such as bondage\/discipline and sadism\/masochism may desensitize online viewers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/i>Pornography Tops the List<\/b><\/p>\n

In categorizing the types of online sexual activities engaged in by their study participants, the Belgian researchers found that more than 95 percent of their respondents said they regularly viewed pornographic photos and\/or videos. Roughly 60 percent of respondents also said they turned to the Internet in search of sexual information and advice. About 40 percent said they sought out pornographic texts online, and more than 30 percent reported that they had turned to the Internet in search of love contacts.<\/p>\n

Approximately 30 percent said they enjoyed watching live sex shows online, while a similar number said they went online in search of partners for offline sexual activity. Twenty to 30 percent said they engaged in sex chats or sought online sexual contacts. Other types of online activities included watching sex via webcam, patronizing online sex shops, and setting up assignations with prostitutes or other sex workers.<\/p>\n

The study also explored the subject matter of pornography viewed by study participants. While vaginal intercourse was the most widely viewed porn subject, attracting more than 80 percent of all respondents, other subjects, in descending order, included oral sex, amateur sex videos, teen sex, anal sex, masturbation, group sex, sex toys, spanking, bondage, shoes and boots, and sadism\/masochism.<\/p>\n

Some Acknowledge Problems<\/b><\/p>\n

Of the 428 study participants who responded to the pivotal question of whether their online sexual activities had become problematic, at least to some degree, 72.4 percent said they perceived no problem while 27.6 acknowledged such activities had begun to pose problems. Of the 118 respondents who saw problems arising because of their online sexual activities, just over one-third said they were considering seeking outside help for such problems.<\/p>\n

In the conclusion to their study, the co-authors suggest that future research “should further investigate the role of specific risk factors in the development and maintenance of men’s involvement” in online sexual activities. They stress that future studies also should focus more closely on the “complex interrelationships between offline and online sexual behaviors.”<\/p>\n

Earlier Italian Study<\/b><\/p>\n

An earlier landmark study in Italy established that many young men in that country were suffering from a condition they described as “sexual anorexia,” an “interrupted appetite” for sex. That problem was associated with a sharp rise in the consumption of online pornography by young Italian males. A survey of 28,000 Internet users found that many males as young as 14 consume large amounts of online porn, after which some find it almost impossible to get and keep an erection.<\/p>\n

If you’d like to read additional articles about sexual health and function, as well as a wide array of other consumer health topics, check out our blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Internet Age has given men across the globe ready access to pornographic content as varied as the human imagination and beyond. Confronted with certain medical anomalies, such as an increase in sexual dysfunction among men of a younger age than was previously observed, medical researchers are questioning what, if any, link might exist between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2976,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[196],"class_list":["post-10788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-erectile-dysfunction","tag-erectile-dysfunction"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t