An international team of researchers led by a professor from the University of Montreal used artificial intelligence to identify predictive factors of problematic pornography consumption.
More than 70 scientists around the world have compiled their research data to identify more than 700 potential predictors, using a machine learning method.
“It was the first time that we collected all the data that exists on the problematic use of pornography,” said Professor Beáta Bőthe, of the psychology department at the University of Montreal. We could not have analyzed so much data without artificial intelligence and machine learning. No human could have done that. »
Seventeen robust predictors stood out from the pack, but five stood out more than the others: frequency of use; emotional avoidance and stress reduction as motivations to use; moral contradiction toward use; and sexual shame.
It goes without saying that not everyone who consumes pornography very frequently has problematic use. Distress exists when there is excessive consumption, but especially in the presence of an inability to control one’s behavior, it was specified.
The use of pornography becomes problematic when the individual cannot stop using it, despite difficult emotional states and even if it significantly interferes with their daily life. This excessive consumption can lead to relational, financial and even legal issues.
“When you look at the data, you see that there are two broad categories of predictors,” explained Professor Bőthe. “For example, and not surprisingly, people who consume the most pornography or who consume it for the longest time are at greater risk of developing problematic use. But also, there are predictors that are related to negative emotions and how people manage these emotions.”
More specifically, she added, data shows that people who use pornography to cope with negative emotions or to manage stress also have higher levels of problematic pornography use. People who present with symptoms of anxiety or depression, or those who feel lonely, would also be at greater risk.
“So it would seem that negative emotions and the way people deal with negative emotional stress may be an important factor in problematic pornography use,” Bőthe said.
It is in a desire to find preventive solutions to the harmful consequences of this disorder that the researcher and her colleagues became interested in the variables that could help predict problematic pornography consumption.
This study, Bőthe said, therefore contributes to additional knowledge about pornography consumption in general, and risk factors for problematic use in particular.
This new empirical knowledge could contribute to the development of more targeted, relevant and effective prevention and intervention programs.
For example, the study showed that gender only comes in 14th place on the list of predictive factors, even though pornography consumption is primarily associated with men in the popular imagination.
“It seems that gender is not as important as we thought in the past,” said Professor Bőthe. Studies have mainly focused on men, but we now see that we should also be interested in women or diverse gender individuals. »
Problematic pornography use is the most common manifestation of compulsive sexual behavior disorder, a condition characterized by uncontrollable sexual urges and behaviors, as well as clinically significant distress.
