New Zealand Women's Experience of Intimacy Within Heterosexual Relationships: Influence of Partners' Perceived Pornography Use (2021)

Simon J. Adamson, Anne Martin, Daryle E. A. Deering & Joseph M. Boden
Journal of Sex & Maritial Therapy, 47:7, 656-668

Abstract

The association between women’s levels of relationship intimacy and how
frequently their partner viewed pornography was examined in a community
sample of 136 NZ heterosexual women. Controlling for age, ethnicity and
education, partner use of pornography was significantly negatively correlated
with emotional, sexual, intellectual and recreational intimacy, but
not social intimacy. Women’s attitudes toward pornography did not mediate
any of these associations. However, significant moderation effects were
found: women with more negative attitudes toward pornography reported
lower rates of emotional and social intimacy when their partner was
believed to be viewing pornography weekly or more, but not when this
frequency was less. No association was found for women with less negative
attitudes toward pornography. These findings indicate that pornography
may be detrimental to relationship intimacy for women with strongly negative
attitudes toward it.

To cite this article: Simon J. Adamson, Anne Martin, Daryle E. A. Deering & Joseph M. Boden
(2021) New Zealand Women’s Experience of Intimacy Within Heterosexual Relationships: Influence
of Partners’ Perceived Pornography Use, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 47:7, 656-668, DOI:
10.1080/0092623X.2021.1937416

https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2021.1937416