Psychometric development of the Problematic Pornography Use Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Addiction Research

Background:

• Increasing social acceptance and use of pornography highlight a need for reliable assessment tools.
• Existing instruments for problematic pornography use lack sufficient validation.
• Problematic pornography use is increasingly recognized within the spectrum of behavioral addictions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a new scale for measuring problematic pornography use.
• To establish the psychometric properties of the Problematic Pornography Use Scale (PPUS).
• To differentiate problematic pornography use from other behavioral addictions.

Main Methods:

• Development and validation of the Problematic Pornography Use Scale (PPUS) across three studies.
• Utilized exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to determine scale structure.
• Assessed internal consistency, convergent validity, and construct validity of the PPUS.

Main Results:

• The PPUS demonstrated high internal consistency, convergent validity, and construct validity.
• Factor analyses identified four core factors underlying problematic pornography use.
• High PPUS scores correlated with psychopathology, low self-esteem, and poor attachment.

Conclusions:

• The Problematic Pornography Use Scale (PPUS) is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing problematic pornography use.
• Problematic pornography use, as measured by PPUS, is distinct from other behavioral addictions like gambling and internet use.
• The PPUS has significant potential for future research and clinical applications in understanding and treating problematic pornography use as a behavioral addiction.