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

Depressive symptoms and pornography use are both common in the United States. Prior cross-sectional research has consistently reported positive associations between these variables, while longitudinal evidence remains limited and often relies on only two measurement waves.

We conducted a five-wave longitudinal study based on a census-matched sample of American adults (N = 2806, 53% women, M_(age) = 51, SD_(age) = 16). Associations between depressive symptoms and frequency of pornography use were examined via partial correlations and a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM). All analyses were adjusted for age, gender, and moral disapproval of pornography use.

Across all five waves, depressive symptoms were positively associated with frequency of pornography use, independently of age, gender, and moral disapproval. The RI-CLPM indicated that these associations were stable over time and reflected between-person differences rather than reciprocal effects across six-month intervals.

Among American adults, depressive symptoms and frequency of pornography use are positively related at the population level. This association appears to reflect a stable between-person link that is not accounted for by demographics, moral attitudes or interactions across waves. Future research should use ecological momentary assessment and multi-wave longitudinal designs with varying intervals to further examine temporal dynamics of depressive symptoms and frequency of pornography use.