Men’s internet sex addiction predicts sexual objectification of women even after taking pornography consumption frequency into account
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: Problematic online video pornography consumption is associated with sexual objectification, particularly in male consumers. However, previous studies have not considered that there is a subgroup of internet users whose consumption may become problematic due to their internet sex addiction. Such users may, in response to internet sex addiction symptoms such as craving, have increased levels of sexual objectification. Methods: In a sample of 1,272 male consumers of online video pornography (Mage = 32.93, SDage = 9.44), we examined whether internet sex addiction is linked to sexual objectification via an online survey. Results: We fitted a series of structural equation models and found that men who scored higher on internet sex addiction were more likely to objectify women. More importantly, this link did not cease when controlling for the frequency of online video pornography consumption. Discussion: Our findings suggest that there are other mechanisms related to addictive symptomatology than just the link through online video pornography consumption that may contribute to sexual objectification. Addiction-related factors may have a unique role in fostering sexual objectification. Isolating internet sex addiction as a potential driver highlights the need to address objectifying behaviours in individuals struggling with this addiction.
Source: Frontiers in Psychology
Authors: Pavla Nováková, Edita Chvojka, Anna Ševčíková, Lukas Blinka, Paul Wright, Steven Kane
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
Funder: European Commission
Award: G3899760497
OpenAlex ID: W4407419565