Relationship of problematic pornography consumption with need for cognition, guilt and shame among adolescents

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore and understand the relationship of Problematic Pornography Consumption (PPC) with need for cognition (NFC), guilt and shame among the adolescent age group. The research hypothesized a negative relationship of PPC with NFC and a positive relationship with guilt and shame and employed a quantitative correlational survey design. An online survey questionnaire was distributed in a sample of 224 adolescents, aged 12-20(M=1.71, SD=0.45) studying in various schools, colleges and universities across the regions of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The survey consisted of the 18-item Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS-18; Bőthe et al, 2018), the 18-item Need for Cognition Scale (NCS-18; Cacioppo and Petty, 1984), and the 15-item Test of Self-Conscious Affect-Adolescence Scale (TOSCA-A; Tangney et al., 1989). A Pearson Product Moment correlation showed no significant associations between the said variables but did indicate the negative relationship of PPC with NFC and the positive relationship of PPC with guilt and shame. The study also indicated a mildly significant positive relationship between NFC and guilt. Limitations of the study and future implications were discussed suggesting for further research into the hypothesized relationship between PPC and NFC employing more complex analysis on larger sample of problematic consumers to better understand the underlying cognitive mechanisms in PPC.