Abstract
Online technologies could play an important role in the sexual development of adolescents as they watch more pornography than before. Pornography may relate to adolescents’ perceptions of their bodies, especially among those identifying as a sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) as they have an increased risk of body image concerns compared to their heterosexual, cisgender (HC) peers. The present study examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations over 3 years between adolescents’ pornography use frequency and body appreciation, considering potential gender and sexual orientation-based differences. Results from linear univariate and parallel processes latent growth curve models with a multi-group approach among 2904 adolescents (MageT1 = 14.5 years, SD = 0.61; 51.4% girls, 16.3% sexual minority) demonstrated that HC and SGM girls’ body appreciation slightly decreased over time. Moreover, HC boys, HC girls and SGM girls’ pornography use frequency slightly increased over time. Cross-sectionally, greater pornography use frequency was associated with lower levels of body appreciation in HC girls and SGM boys, with a small effect size. However, longitudinally, pornography use frequency and body appreciation were not related to each other in either group. Our findings support that pornography use, in the short term, is negatively associated with adolescents’ body appreciation, although these associations might not hold in the long term. Adolescents may be more critical of body ideals represented in pornography as they learn to think with more discernment about the pornographic depictions of bodies and sexuality.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
In Québec, adolescents can provide their own informed consent from age 14. Not relying on parental consent can ensure the safety of students involved in the study, and can prevent sampling biases that may distort the results.
During Time 1, we were in the processes of the data collection at one school when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred. Since the data collection was not finished in this school by the time that the pandemic started, 89 participants were contacted online. Out of 89 participants, only 7 completed the online questionnaire.
It was not possible to add masturbation frequency to the model as a control variable due to multicollinearity. However, we reported descriptive statistics and correlations between masturbation frequency and other study variables in Table 3 for complete transparency.
It was not possible to add masturbation frequency to the model as a control variable due to multicollinearity. However, we reported descriptive statistics and correlations between masturbation frequency and other study variables in Table 3 for complete transparency.
It was not possible to add masturbation frequency to the model as a control variable due to multicollinearity. However, we reported descriptive statistics and correlations between masturbation frequency and other study variables in Table 3 for complete transparency.
References
Albury, K. (2014). Porn and sex education, porn as sex education. Porn Studies, 1(1–2), 172–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268743.2013.863654
Alleva, J. M., Paraskeva, N., Craddock, N., & Diedrichs, P. C. (2018). Body appreciation in British men: Correlates and variation across sexual orientation. Body Image, 27, 169–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.09.004
Alvy, L. M. (2013). Do lesbian women have a better body image? Comparisons with heterosexual women and model of lesbian-specific factors. Body Image, 10, 524–534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.06.002
Andrew, R., Tiggemann, M., & Clark, L. (2016). Predictors and health-related outcomes of positive body image in adolescent girls: A prospective study. Developmental Psychology, 52(3), 463–474. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000095
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469
Bauer, G. R., Braimoh, J., Scheim, A. I., & Dharma, C. (2017). Transgender-inclusive measures of sex/gender for population surveys: Mixed methods evaluation and recommendations. PLoS ONE, 12(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0178043
Bleakley, A., Hennessy, M., & Fishbein, M. (2011). A model of adolescents’ seeking of sexual content in their media choices. Journal of Sex Research, 48(4), 309–315. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2010.497985
Bőthe, B., Vaillancourt-Morel, M. P., Bergeron, S., & Demetrovics, Z. (2019). Problematic and non-problematic pornography use among LGBTQ adolescents: A systematic literature review. Current Addiction Reports, 6, 478–494. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-019-00289-5
Bőthe, B., Vaillancourt-Morel, M. P., Girouard, A., Štulhofer, A., Dion, J., & Bergeron, S. (2020). A large-scale comparison of Canadian sexual/gender minority and heterosexual, cisgender adolescents’ pornography use characteristics. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 17(6), 1156–1167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.02.009
Bőthe, B., Vaillancourt-Morel, M.-P., Dion, J., Paquette, M.-M., Massé-Pfister, M., Tóth-Király, I., & Bergeron, S. (2022). A longitudinal study of adolescents’ pornography use frequency, motivations, and problematic use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51(1), 139–156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02282-4
Bradford, N. J., DeWitt, J., Decker, J., Berg, D. R., Spencer, K. G., & Ross, M. W. (2019). Sex education and transgender youth: Trust means material by and for queer and trans people. Sex Education, 19(1), 84–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2018.1478808
Bucchianeri, M. M., Arikian, A. J., Hannan, P. J., Eisenberg, M. E., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2013). Body dissatisfaction from adolescence to young adulthood: Findings from a 10-year longitudinal study. Body Image, 10(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.09.001
Calzo, J. P., Austin, S. B., & Micala, N. (2018). Sexual orientation disparities in eating disorder symptoms among adolescent boys & girls in the UK. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 1483–1490. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-018-1145-9
Calzo, J. P., Corliss, H. L., Blood, E. A., Field, A. E., & Austin, S. B. (2013). Development of muscularity and weight concerns in heterosexual and sexual minority males. Health Psychology, 32, 42–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028964
Cash, T. F., & Pruzinsky, T. (2002). Future challenges for body image theory, research, and clinical practice. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (pp. 509–516). Guilford Press.
Cash, T. F., & Smolak, L. (2011). Understanding body images: Historical and contemporary perspectives. In T. F. Cash & L. Smolak (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of science, practice, and prevention (pp. 3–11). Guilford Press.
Cranney, S., Koletić, G., & Štulhofer, A. (2018). Varieties of religious and pornographic experience: Latent growth in adolescents’ religiosity and pornography use. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 28(3), 174–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2018.1480195
Dawson, K., Nic Gabhainn, S., & MacNeela, P. (2020). Toward a model of porn literacy: Core concepts, rationales, and approaches. Journal of Sex Research, 57(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2018.1556238
Diemer, E. W., Grant, J. D., Munn-Chernoff, M. A., Patterson, D. A., & Duncan, A. E. (2015). Gender identity, sexual orientation, and eating related pathology in a national sample of college students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 57, 144–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.03.003
Dion, J., Blackburn, M.-E., Auclair, J., Laberge, L., Veillette, S., Gaudreault, M., Vachon, P., Perron, M., & Touchette, É. (2015). Development and aetiology of body dissatisfaction in adolescent boys and girls. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 20(2), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2014.985320
Donevan, M., Jonsson, L., Bladh, M., Priebe, G., Fredlund, C., & Göran Svedin, C. (2022). Adolescents’ use of pornography: Trends over a ten-year period in Sweden. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51, 1125–1140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02084-8
Doornwaard, S. M., Bickham, D. S., Rich, M., Vanwesenbeeck, I., van den Eijnden, R. J. J. M., & ter Bogt, T. F. M. (2014). Sex-related online behaviors and adolescents’ body and sexual self- perceptions. Pediatrics, 134(6), 1103–1110. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-0592
Duggan, S. J., & McCreary, D. R. (2004). Body image, eating disorders, and the drive for muscularity in gay and heterosexual men: The influence of media images. Journal of Homosexuality, 47(3–4), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v47n03_03
Efrati, Y. (2020). Problematic and non-problematic pornography use and compulsive sexual behaviors among understudied populations: Children and adolescents. Current Addiction Reports, 7(1), 68–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-020-00300-4
Friedman, C. K., & Morgan, E. M. (2009). Comparing sexual-minority and heterosexual young women’s friends and parents as sources of support for sexual issues. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(7), 920–936. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9361-0
Góngora, V. C., Cruz Lice, V., Mebarak Chams, M. R., & Thornborrow, T. (2020). Assessing the measurement invariance of a Latin-American Spanish translation of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 in Mexican, Argentinean, and Colombian adolescents. Body Image, 32, 180–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.01.004
Grogan, S. (2017). Body image: Understanding body dissatisfaction in men, women, and children (3rd ed.). Routledge.
He, J., Sun, S., Zickgraf, H. F., Lin, Z., & Fan, X. (2020). Meta-analysis of gender differences in body appreciation. Body Image, 33, 90–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.02.011
Herbenick, D., Reece, M., Schick, V., Sanders, S. A., Dodge, B., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2010). Sexual behavior in the United States: Results from a national probability sample of men and women ages 14–94. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7, 255–265. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.02012.x
Jankowski, G. S., Fawkner, H., Slater, A., & Tiggemann, M. (2014). “Appearance potent”? A content analysis of UK gay and straight men’s magazines. Body Image, 11, 474–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.07.010
Klein, V., Savaş, Ö., & Conley, T. D. (2022a). How WEIRD and androcentric is sex research? Global inequities in study populations. Journal of Sex Research, 59, 810–817. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2021.1918050
Klein, V., Šević, S., Kohut, T., & Štulhofer, A. (2022b). Longitudinal assessment of the association between the use of sexually explicit material, hyperfemininity, and sexual agency in adolescent women. Psychology and Sexuality, 13(2), 213–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2020.1757500
Koff, E., Lucas, M., Migliorini, R., & Grossmith, S. (2010). Women and body dissatisfaction: Does sexual orientation make a difference? Body Image, 7, 255–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2010.03.001
Kohut, T., & Štulhofer, A. (2018). The role of religiosity in adolescents’ compulsive pornography use: A longitudinal assessment. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 44(8), 759–775. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2018.1466012
Kvalem, I. L., Træen, B., Markovic, A., & von Soest, T. (2019). Body image development and sexual satisfaction: A prospective study from adolescence to adulthood. Journal of Sex Research, 56(6), 791–801. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2018.1518400
Landripet, I., Buško, V., & Štulhofer, A. (2019). Testing the content progression thesis: A longitudinal assessment of pornography use and preference for coercive and violent content among male adolescents. Social Science Research, 81, 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2019.03.003
Lemoine, J. E., Konradsen, H., Lunde Jensen, A., Roland-Lévy, C., Ny, P., Khalaf, A., & Torres, S. (2018). Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 among adolescents and young adults in Danish, Portuguese, and Swedish. Body Image, 26, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.02.004
Leonhardt, N. D., Willoughby, B. J., & Young-Petersen, B. (2018). Damaged goods: Perception of pornography addiction as a mediator between religiosity and relationship anxiety surrounding pornography use. Journal of Sex Research, 55(3), 357–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2017.1295013
Lewczuk, K., Wójcik, A., & Gola, M. (2022). Increase in the prevalence of online pornography use: Objective data analysis from the period between 2004 and 2016 in Poland. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51, 1157–1171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02090-w
Lobe, B., Livingstone, S., Ólafsson, K., Vodeb, H. (2011). Cross-national comparison of risks and safety on the internet: Initial analysis from the EU Kids Online survey of European children. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/39608/
Löfgren-Mårtenson, L., & Månsson, S.-A. (2010). Lust, love, and life: A qualitative study of Swedish adolescents’ perceptions and experiences with pornography. Journal of Sex Research, 47(6), 568–579. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224490903151374
Mattebo, M., Larsson, M., Tydén, T., Olsson, T., & Häggström-Nordin, E. (2012). Hercules and Barbie? Reflections on the influence of pornography and its spread in the media and society in groups of adolescents in Sweden. European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, 17(1), 40–49. https://doi.org/10.3109/13625187.2011.617853
Mattebo, M., Tydén, T., Häggström-Nordin, E., Nilsson, K. W., & Larsson, M. (2018). Pornography consumption and psychosomatic and depressive symptoms among Swedish adolescents: A longitudinal study. Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences, 123(4), 237–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/03009734.2018.1534907
McClain, Z., & Peebles, R. (2016). Body image and eating disorders among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 63, 1079–1090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2016.07.008
Meneguzzo, P., Collantoni, E., Gallicchio, D., Busetto, P., Solmi, M., Santonastaso, P., & Favaro, A. (2018). Eating disorders symptoms in sexual minority women: A systematic review. European Eating Disorders Review, 26(4), 275–292. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2601
Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674–697. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674
Milas, G., Wright, P., & Štulhofer, A. (2020). Longitudinal assessment of the association between pornography use and sexual satisfaction in adolescence. Journal of Sex Research, 57(1), 16–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1607817
Moreno-Domínguez, S., Raposo, T., & Elipe, P. (2019). Body image and sexual dissatisfaction: Differences among heterosexual, bisexual and lesbian women. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00903
Mulholland, M. (2013). Young people and pornography: Negotiating pornification. Palgrave Macmillan.
Nieh, H.-P., Chang, L.-Y., Chang, H.-Y., Chiang, T.-L., & Yen, L.-L. (2020). Pubertal timing, parenting style, and trajectories of pornography use in adolescence: Peer pornography use as the mediator. Journal of Sex Research, 57(1), 29–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1623163
Nowicki, G. P., Marchwinski, B. R., O’Flynn, J. L., Griffths, S., & Rodgers, R. F. (2022). Body image and associated factors among sexual minority men: A systematic review. Body Image, 43, 154–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.08.006
O’Brien, J. E., Li, W., & Burton, D. L. (2015). Eating disordered behaviors and body disapproval in adolescent males adjudicated for sexual and nonsexual crimes. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 24(8), 922–942. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2015.1092004
O’Sullivan, L. F., Cheng, M. M., Harris, K. M., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2007). I wanna hold your hand: The progression of social, romantic and sexual events in adolescent relationships. Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health, 39(2), 100–107. https://doi.org/10.1363/3910007
Papp, I., Urbán, R., Czeglédi, E., Babusa, B., & Túrya, F. (2013). Testing the tripartite influence model of body image and eating disturbance among Hungarian adolescents. Body Image, 10, 232–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.12.006
Paquette, M.-M., Dion, J., Bőthe, B., Girouard, A., & Bergeron, S. (2022a). Heterosexual, cisgender and gender and sexually diverse adolescents’ sexting behaviors: The role of body appreciation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(2), 278–290. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01568-z
Paquette, M.-M., Dion, J., Bőthe, B., & Bergeron, S. (2022b). Validation of the body appreciation scale-2 in cisgender, heterosexual and sexual and gender diverse adolescents. Body Image, 43, 193–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.09.001
Paslakis, G., Chiclana Actis, C., & Mestre-Bach, G. (2020). Associations between pornography exposure, body image and sexual body image: A systematic review. Journal of Health Psychology, 27(3), 743–760. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105320967085
Perry, S. L. (2020). Is the link between pornography use and relational happiness really more about masturbation? Results from two national surveys. Journal of Sex Research, 57(1), 64–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2018.1556772
Peter, J., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2016). Adolescents and pornography: A review of 20 years of research. Journal of Sex Research, 53(4–5), 509–531. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2016.1143441
Polimeni, A.-M., Austin, S. B., & Kavanagh, A. M. (2009). Sexual orientation and weight, body image, and weight control practices among young Australian women. Journal of Women’s Health, 18(3), 355–362. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2007.0765
Pornhub.com. (2020a). Coronavirus Canada. https://www.pornhub.com/insights/canada-coronavirus
Pornhub.com. (2020b). Coronavirus Update–June 18. https://www.pornhub.com/insights/coronavirus-update-june-18
Prause, N. (2019). Porn is for masturbation [Commentary]. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(8), 2271–2277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-1397-6
Ramseyer Winter, V., Satinsky, S., & Jozkowski, N. (2015). Does women’s body appreciation differ by sexual orientation? A brief report. Journal of Bisexuality, 15, 130–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2014.999903
Rasmussen, K., & Bierman, A. (2016). How does religious attendance shape trajectories of pornography use across adolescence? Journal of Adolescence, 49, 191–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.03.017
Roberts, S. R., Maheux, A. J., Hunt, R. A., Ladda, B. A., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2022). Incorporating social media and muscular ideal internalization into the tripartite influence model of body image: Towards a modern understanding of adolescent girls’ body dissatisfaction. Body Image, 41, 239–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.03.002
Rodgers, R. F., McLean, S. A., & Paxton, S. J. (2015). Longitudinal relationships among internalization of the media ideal, peer social comparison, and body dissatisfaction: Implications for the tripartite influence model. Developmental Psychology, 51(5), 706–713. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000013
Romito, P., & Beltramini, L. (2011). Watching pornography: Gender differences, violence and victimization. An exploratory study in Italy. Violence against Women, 17(10), 1313–1326. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801211424555
Rothblum, E. D. (2014). Commentary: Lesbians should take the lead in removing the stigma that has long been associated with body weight. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1, 377–382. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000065
Rothman, E. F. (2021). Pornography and body image. In E. F. Rothman (Ed.), Pornography and public health (pp.147-165). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190075477.001.0001
Rousseau, A., Bőthe, B., & Štulhofer, A. (2021). Theoretical antecedents of male adolescents’ problematic pornography use: A longitudinal assessment. Journal of Sex Research, 58, 331–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1815637
Sabina, C., Wolak, J., & Finkelhor, D. (2008). The nature and dynamics of Internet pornography exposure for youth. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 11, 691–693. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2007.0179
Scarcelli, C. M. (2015). ‘It is disgusting, but …’: Adolescent girls’ relationship to internet pornography as gender performance. Porn Studies, 2, 237–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268743.2015.1051914
Seidah, A., Bouffard, T., & Vezeau, C. (2004). Perceptions de soi à l’adolescence : Différences entre filles et garçons/ Self-perceptions of adolescents: Differences between girls and boys. Enfance, 56(4), 405–420. https://doi.org/10.3917/enf.564.0405
Ševčíková, A., & Daneback, K. (2014). Online pornography use in adolescence: Age and gender differences. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 11(6), 674–686. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2014.926808
Sevic, S., Ciprić, A., Buško, V., & Štulhofer, A. (2020). The relationship between the use of social networking sites and sexually explicit material, the internalization of appearance ideals and body self-surveillance: Results from a longitudinal study of male adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(2), 383–398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01172-2
Shek, D. T. L., & Ma, C. (2016). A six-year longitudinal study of consumption of pornographic materials in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 29(1), S12–S21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2015.10.004
Shroff, H., & Thompson, J. K. (2006). The tripartite influence model of body image and eating disturbance: A replication with adolescent girls. Body Image, 3(1), 17–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2005.10.004
Sinković, M., Štulhofer, A., & Božić, J. (2013). Revisiting the association between pornography use and risky sexual behaviors: The role of early exposure to pornography and sexual sensation seeking. Journal of Sex Research, 50(7), 633–641. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2012.681403
Smith, M. (2013). Youth viewing sexually explicit material online: Addressing the elephant on the screen. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 10, 62–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178012-0103-4
Smolak, L. (2004). Body image in children and adolescents: Where do we go from here? Body Image, 1(1), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1740-1445(03)00008-1
Soulliard, Z. A., & Vander Wal, J. S. (2019). Validation of the body appreciation scale-2 and relationships to eating behaviors and health among sexual minorities. Body Image, 31, 120–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.09.003
Soulliard, Z. A., & Van der Wal, J. S. (2022). Measurement invariance and psychometric properties of three positive body image measures among cisgender sexual minority and heterosexual women. Body Image, 40, 146–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.12.002
Strong, S. M., Williamson, D. A., Netemeyer, R. G., & Geer, J. H. (2000). Eating disorder symptoms and concerns about body differ as a function of gender and sexual orientation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 19, 240–255. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2000.19.2.240
Štulhofer, A., Landripet, I., Matković, T., Koletić, G., Kohut, T., Buško, V., & Vodopijevec, A. (2021). Are we losing the most relevant cases first? Selective dropout in two independent panels of Croatian adolescents (the PROBIOPS Study). Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50, 2215–2216.
Štulhofer, A., Rousseau, A., & Shekarchi, R. (2020). A two-wave assessment of the structure and stability of self-reported problematic pornography use among male Croatian adolescents. International Journal of Sexual Health, 32(2), 151–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2020.1765940
Štulhofer, A., Tafro, A., & Kohut, T. (2019). The dynamics of adolescents’ pornography use and psychological well-being: A six-wave latent growth and latent class modeling approach. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 28(12), 1567–1579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-019-01318-4
Swami, V., Stieger, S., Haubner, T., & Voracek, M. (2008). German translation and psychometric evaluation of the body appreciation scale. Body Image, 5, 122–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.10.002
Tiggemann, M. (2015). Considerations of positive body image across various social identities and special populations. Body Image, 14, 168–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.03.002
Thompson, J. K., Heinberg, L. J., Altabe, M., & Tantleff-Dunn, S. (1999). Exacting beauty: Theory, assessment, and treatment of body image disturbance. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10312-000
Tylka, T. L., & Wood-Barcalow, N. L. (2015). The body appreciation scale-2: Item refinement and psychometric evaluation. Body Image, 12(1), 53–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.09.006
Vandenbosch, L., & Eggermont, S. (2013). Sexualization of adolescent boys: Media exposure and boys’ internalization of appearance ideals, self-objectification, and body surveillance. Men and Masculinities, 16(3), 283–306. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X13477866
Vandenbosch, L., & van Oosten, J. M. (2017). The relationship between online pornography and the sexual objectification of women: The attenuating role of porn literacy education. Journal of Communication, 67, 1015–1036. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12341
Vogels, E. A. (2019). Loving oneself: The associations among sexually explicit media, body image, and perceived realism. Journal of Sex Research, 56(6), 778–790. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2018.1475546
von Soest, T., Wichstrøm, L., & Kvalem, I. L. (2016). The development of global and domain-specific self-esteem from age 13 to 31. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 110, 592–608. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000060
Webb, J. B., Wood-Barcalow, N. L., & Tylka, T. L. (2015). Assessing positive body image: Contemporary approaches and future directions. Body Image, 14, 130–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.03.010
Weber, M., Quiring, O., & Daschmann, G. (2012). Peers, parents, and pornography: Exploring adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit material and its developmental correlates. Sexuality and Culture, 16(4), 408–427. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-012-9132-7
Weinrich, J. D. (2014). On the design, development, and testing of sexual identity questions: A discussion and analysis of Kristen Miller and J. Michael Ryan’s work for the National Health Interview Survey. Journal of Bisexuality, 14, 502–523. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2014.952052
Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2007). Unwanted and wanted exposure to online pornography in a national sample of youth Internet users. Pediatrics, 119(2), 247–257. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-1891
Wolf, N. (1991). The beauty myth: How images of beauty are used against women. Random House.
Wright, P. J. (2012). A longitudinal analysis of U.S. adults’ pornography exposure. Journal of Media Psychology, 24, 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000063
Wright, P. J., Herbenick, D., & Paul, B. (2020). Adolescent condom use, parent-adolescent sexual health communication, and pornography: Findings from a U.S. probability sample. Health Communication, 35(13), 1576–1582. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1652392
Wright, P. J., & Štulhofer, A. (2019). Adolescent pornography use and the dynamics of perceived pornography realism: Does seeing more make it more realistic? Computers in Human Behavior, 95, 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.01.024
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Helfand, M. (2008). Ten years of longitudinal research on U.S. adolescent sexual behavior: Developmental correlates of sexual intercourse, and the importance of age, gender and ethnic background. Developmental Review, 28(2), 153–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2007.06.001
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Mylène Desrosiers and Camélia Dubois for their assistance with data collection.
Funding
This work was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research awarded to S. Bergeron and J. Dion and a doctoral fellowship from the Fonds de recherche du Québec, Société et Culture awarded to M-M. Paquette. B. Bőthe was supported by the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, SSHRC).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
M-MP contributed to the study’s conception and design, contributed to data collection, and drafted the manuscript; BB contributed to the study conception and design; performed the statistical analysis, and helped to draft and review the manuscript; JD conceived the study and obtained funding, provided material resources, participated in the design and coordination of the study, and helped to review the manuscript; AG contributed to data collection and helped to review the manuscript; SB conceived the study and obtained funding, provided material resources, participated in its design and coordination, helped to draft as well as review the manuscript, and offered supervision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Human and Animal Rights
All procedures performed in the study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee of the Université de Montréal and the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Paquette, MM., Bőthe, B., Dion, J. et al. Can I Love My Body Even if It Doesn’t Look Like the Porn Stars’? Longitudinal Associations Between Pornography Use Frequency and Body Appreciation in a Diverse Sample of Adolescents. Arch Sex Behav 52, 3471–3489 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02679-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02679-3