Sexually explicit media use and relationship satisfaction a moderating role of emotional intimacy?

COMMENTS: Authors Stulhofer & Hald have published highly suspect studies in the past (for example). A recent Stulhofer presentation at a sexually conference was extraordinarily biased, omitting every study on these 2 pages: List 1, List 2.

While one finding aligns with other research:

“higher SEM use was found to be significantly associated with lower relationship satisfaction only among men who reported lower levels of emotional intimacy with their partner.”

Another reported finding seems dubious:

“Controlling for sociodemographic, psychosexual and relationship variables, no significant association between SEM use and relationship satisfaction was found.”

Once they eliminated sexual and relationship variables, they found no link between between porn use and relationship satisfaction. Do tell.  Reality: The study found significant correlations between porn use and poorer relationship & sexual satisfaction in both males and females. Excerpt from discussion section:

For both men and women, significant, yet modest negative zero-order correlations between SEM use and relationship satisfaction were found, indicating that increased SEM use was associated with lower relationship satisfaction across gender.

This means that before playing the “controlling for” games, they found significant correlations between porn use a poorer relationship satisfaction in both males and females.


DOI: 10.1080/14681994.2016.1193134

Maria Veita, Aleksandar Štulhoferb & Gert Martin Haldac*

  • Received: 10 Dec 2015
  • Accepted: 4 May 2016
  • Published online: 08 Jun 2016

ABSTRACT

Using a cross-sectional questionnaire design and a sample of 2284 coupled Croatian adults, this study investigated the association between Sexually Explicit Media (SEM) use and relationship satisfaction. Further, possible moderation of emotional intimacy on the relationship between SEM use and relationship satisfaction was investigated. Controlling for sociodemographic, psychosexual and relationship variables, no significant association between SEM use and relationship satisfaction was found. However, among men, a moderating effect of emotional intimacy was found. Thus, higher SEM use was found to be significantly associated with lower relationship satisfaction only among men who reported lower levels of emotional intimacy with their partner.