Violent Pornography Use and Acceptance of Sexual Coercion in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Risky Sexual Scripts and Low Sexual Self-Esteem

Abstract Introduction The use of pornography is ubiquitous in adolescence, and a substantial proportion of users are exposed to pornography showing violence. Adolescents tend to be less critical of those depictions than adults, so their influence on adolescents’ attitudes is of concern. The current study examined the association between the use of violent pornography and the acceptance of sexual coercion, considering risky sexual scripts and low sexual self-esteem as mediators, and the use of non-violent pornography, gender, age, and sexual orientation as covariates. Method A sample of 221 adolescents (69.7% female; mean age of 16.9 years) from Germany completed an online questionnaire. The data were collected in 2021. Results As predicted, higher frequency of violent pornography use was significantly related to greater acceptance of sexual coercion. The indirect paths via risky sexual scripts and low sexual self-esteem were also statistically significant. Conclusions The findings provide an understanding of the mechanisms that link violent pornography use to the acceptance of sexual coercion, which suggests ways to prevent the acceptance of sexual coercion in adolescence. Policy Implications The study findings point to the importance of porn literacy and building sexual competencies in adolescents as topics that should be included in sex education programs.