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A Network Comparison of Motives behind Online Sexual Activities and Problematic Pornography Use during the COVID-19 Outbreak and the Post-Pandemic Period

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  • Xiaoliu Jiang

    (School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China)

  • Yingfei Lu

    (School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China)

  • Youjuan Hong

    (School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China)

  • Ying Zhang

    (Department of Physical Education, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China)

  • Lijun Chen

    (School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China)

Abstract

Many researchers have considered whether online sexual activities (OSAs) increased over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and whether these have led to an increase in problematic pornography use (PPU). This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on PPU through pornography use motivations (PUMs) and OSAs to develop a better understanding of the mechanism and changes affecting PPU. Two groups of Chinese adults were recruited during the initial months of the pandemic (April 2020, n 1 = 496) and the post-pandemic period (October 2021, n 2 = 504). A network analysis was conducted to compare the structures of PPU symptoms among the two groups. The results showed that PUMs and OSAs were stronger predictors of PPU during the pandemic than post-pandemic ( R 2 pandemic = 57.6% vs. R 2 post-pandemic = 28.7%). The motives of fantasy, sexual pleasure, stress reduction, and self-exploration were the prominent motivations during these two periods, but we found distinct PPU-related communities. PPU, sexual pleasure, and viewing sexually explicit materials (a type of OSAs) constituted a community during the pandemic but not in the post-pandemic’s network. The present study indicated that the pandemic may not have been the only factor impacting the higher rate of PPU. Instead, the higher frequency of OSAs during the pandemic may have been a strategy to cope with stress and to safely satisfy sexual desire.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaoliu Jiang & Yingfei Lu & Youjuan Hong & Ying Zhang & Lijun Chen, 2022. "A Network Comparison of Motives behind Online Sexual Activities and Problematic Pornography Use during the COVID-19 Outbreak and the Post-Pandemic Period," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-16, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:10:p:5870-:d:813678
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Epskamp, Sacha & Cramer, Angélique O.J. & Waldorp, Lourens J. & Schmittmann, Verena D. & Borsboom, Denny, 2012. "qgraph: Network Visualizations of Relationships in Psychometric Data," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 48(i04).
    2. Lijun Chen & Xiaoliu Jiang, 2020. "The Assessment of Problematic Internet Pornography Use: A Comparison of Three Scales with Mixed Methods," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Sijia Li & Yilin Wang & Jia Xue & Nan Zhao & Tingshao Zhu, 2020. "The Impact of COVID-19 Epidemic Declaration on Psychological Consequences: A Study on Active Weibo Users," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-9, March.
    4. Hildie Leung & Daniel T. L. Shek & Edvina Leung & Esther Y. W. Shek, 2019. "Development of Contextually-relevant Sexuality Education: Lessons from a Comprehensive Review of Adolescent Sexuality Education Across Cultures," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-24, February.
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