Gender differences in problematic pornography use: associations with personality traits and attachment styles.
- 1Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
- 2Department of Psychological Sciences, FLAME University, Pune, India.
Abstract
Background
While pornography use is widespread and typically non-problematic, a subset of individuals report symptoms associated with problematic pornography use (PPU). Previous research suggests that the severity and prevalence of PPU are strongly influenced by gender and are linked to specific personality traits and attachment styles. The primary aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the Big Five personality traits, attachment styles, and PPU, taking gender into account as a moderating factor. Additionally, the study examined the reliability, validity, and measurement invariance of the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS-6) across genders.Participants and procedure
The sample comprised 591 Polish young adults: 318 women and 273 men. The data were gathered using both paper-and-pencil and online surveys. The PPCS-6 was used to measure PPU. Relations between the Big Five personality traits, attachment styles, and PPU were analyzed using correlational and hierarchical regression analyses.Results
Almost half (46.5%) of women and 16.8% of men had the lowest possible score on this scale, indicating a substantial floor effect. The PPCS-6 showed partial scalar invariance between genders. Negative correlations of PPU with emotional stability, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness were significant only among men. In regression analysis, emotional stability was related to PPU only in men. The association between attachment anxiety and PPU was pronounced in both genders, although it was significantly stronger among men.Conclusions
The results are congruent with the notion that PPU among men may be associated with unfavorable individual predispositions. Results concerning women leave the open question of why and how women develop PPU. Lastly, the Polish version of the PPCS-6 is a valid and reliable tool for future research.
Related
- Gender Differences in Associations Between Problematic Pornography Use and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety: Insights From a Large-Scale Study.
- The Dual-Level Dynamics of Moral Incongruence: A Multilevel Analysis of Problematic Pornography Use
- Latent Profiles of Primary Emotional Systems and Their Associations with PTSD, CPTSD, Attachment, and Childhood Adversity.
- Personality and cognition across the lifespan: investigating their interplay and age-related differences.
- Mental health problems in a large representative sample of children and adolescents: Prevalence, associations with problematic substance use and psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.
BibTeX
@article{cupta2026gender,
title = {{Gender differences in problematic pornography use: associations with personality traits and attachment styles.}},
author = {Aleksandra Cupta and Piotr Luszuk and Stanisław K Czerwiński and Julia M Balcerowska-Detmer and Adriana Biernatowska and Paweł A Atroszko},
journal = {Current issues in personality psychology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.5114/cipp/226178},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959840},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gender differences in problematic pornography use: associations with personality traits and attachment styles.
AU - Aleksandra Cupta
AU - Piotr Luszuk
AU - Stanisław K Czerwiński
AU - Julia M Balcerowska-Detmer
AU - Adriana Biernatowska
AU - Paweł A Atroszko
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
JO - Current issues in personality psychology
DO - 10.5114/cipp/226178
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959840
AB - Background While pornography use is widespread and typically non-problematic, a subset of individuals report symptoms associated with problematic pornography use (PPU). Previous research suggests that the severity and prevalence of PPU are strongly influenced by gender and are linked to specific personality traits and attachment styles. The primary aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the Big Five personality traits, attachment styles, and PPU, taking gender into account as a moderating factor. Additionally, the study examined the reliability, validity, and measurement invariance of the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS-6) across genders.Participants and procedure The sample comprised 591 Polish young adults: 318 women and 273 men. The data were gathered using both paper-and-pencil and online surveys. The PPCS-6 was used to measure PPU. Relations between the Big Five personality traits, attachment styles, and PPU were analyzed using correlational and hierarchical regression analyses.Results Almost half (46.5%) of women and 16.8% of men had the lowest possible score on this scale, indicating a substantial floor effect. The PPCS-6 showed partial scalar invariance between genders. Negative correlations of PPU with emotional stability, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness were significant only among men. In regression analysis, emotional stability was related to PPU only in men. The association between attachment anxiety and PPU was pronounced in both genders, although it was significantly stronger among men.Conclusions The results are congruent with the notion that PPU among men may be associated with unfavorable individual predispositions. Results concerning women leave the open question of why and how women develop PPU. Lastly, the Polish version of the PPCS-6 is a valid and reliable tool for future research.
SN - 2353-4192
SN - 2353-561X
ER -