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Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study

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Depressive symptoms and pornography use: A census-matched longitudinal study.

Robin Engelhardt¹, Rahel Geppert², Dominik Trommer³

¹Institute for Psychology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Universität der Bundeswehr München, Munich, Germany; Thomas Bayes Institute, Berlin, Germany.

Psychiatry Research

|June 20, 2026

Summary

Depressive symptoms and pornography use frequency are consistently linked in American adults. This association reflects stable individual differences, not a direct cause-and-effect relationship over time.

Keywords:

Depression Depressive symptoms Mental health Moral disapproval Pornography frequency Pornography use

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Area of Science:

Mental Health Research
Behavioral Science
Sociology

Background:

Depressive symptoms and pornography use are prevalent in the U.S.
Previous studies show a link, but longitudinal data is scarce.
Limited research exists on the long-term relationship between these variables.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the longitudinal association between depressive symptoms and pornography use.
To examine if the relationship is stable over time and reflects between-person differences.
To analyze data from a large, representative sample of American adults.

Main Methods:

A five-wave longitudinal study with 2806 American adults.
Partial correlations and random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) were used.
Analyses controlled for age, gender, and moral disapproval of pornography.

Main Results:

A consistent positive association was found between depressive symptoms and pornography use frequency.
The relationship remained significant after adjusting for demographic factors and moral attitudes.
RI-CLPM results indicated stable between-person differences, not reciprocal effects over time.

Conclusions:

Depressive symptoms and pornography use are positively related in American adults at a population level.
The association appears to be a stable characteristic of individuals, not a dynamic interplay.
Further research with varied longitudinal designs is recommended to explore temporal dynamics.