A study to Assess the Attitude of Young Adults Towards Pornography in Selected Areas of Himachal Pradesh

Introduction: Pornography can be defined as the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purpose for sexual arousal. It is usually present in various forms using magazines, videos, books, and video games. In the current scenario, it has become widespread and easily accessible to almost all age groups due to the easy availability of Internet usage. Studies have noted that early intentional exposure to Pornography use in adults can lead to delinquent behavior, high-risk sexual behavior, and substance use1.The main objectives of the study were to assess the attitude of young adults towards Pornography in selected areas of Himachal Pradesh. Method: Quantitative approach and descriptive design was adopted, sample comprised of 600 adolescents selected using convenient sampling from selected areas of Himachal Pradesh. Data was collected using Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale and Attitude Towards Pornography Scale. Results: The results of the study showed that majority of young adults belonged to the age group 22-25 years 325 (54.2%) and the rest were 18-21 years old 275 (45.8%). With concerning gender that participated in the study and number of females was slightly more 373 (62.2%) then the boys 227 (37.8). The majority of the young adults had a relationship status of single 435 (72.5%) and the rest were committed 165 (27.5%).  The majority of young adults graduated 346 (57.7%); 164 (27.3%) were in secondary and 90 (15.0%) were post-graduated. Concerning residential areas, most of them were from urban areas 295 (49.2%) and 211 (35.2%) belonged to rural areas, and the rest of them belonged to semi-urban areas 94 (15.7%). Based on the mobile phone uses 2-4 hours 275 (45.8%); 4-6 hours 199 (33.2%) and the rest of 1-2 hours 126 (21.0). The majority is of Uncertain attitude 332 (55.3), then is the Detrimental attitude 264 (44) and the minority comprises the Beneficial attitude 4 (0.7). The association between Problematic Pornography usage and Attitude towards pornography in socio-demographic variables reveals that there is a highly significant relation in relationship status (p=0.000). The Correlation between the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale and Attitude towards Pornography Scale scores of young adults reveals that there is no correlation between problematic pornography consumption and Attitude towards Pornography in young adults (p=0.708). Discussion: The results of the present study showed that majority of the adolescents had Uncertain attitude 332 (55.3) followed by Detrimental attitude 264 (44) and the minority comprises the Beneficial attitude 4 (0.7).