Problematic Pornography Use in the Middle East: What We Know and What We Don’t - A Scoping Review

Problematic pornography use (PPU) has become an increasingly recognized mental health concern worldwide. Nonetheless, empirical research remains heavily concentrated in Western or East Asian contexts, leaving the Middle East – where cultural and sexual norms may shape PPU differently – largely underexplored. Therefore, a comprehensive scoping review of the entire empirical literature on PPU in the Middle East was conducted across international and regional databases. Of 216 records screened, 39 studies met inclusion criteria. These included mostly cross-sectional studies with various conceptualizations of PPU, depicting a variety of negative mental health associations. Most contributions originated from Israel and Iran, with Arab countries being markedly underrepresented. PPU emerged as a significant regional issue associated with adverse mental health outcomes, although substantial methodological limitations were identified. More rigorous research, particularly from Arab countries, is urgently needed. We recommend scale validation efforts, census-matched sampling, clinical investigations, and longitudinal designs to capture the complexity of PPU in this region. We also call for greater international collaboration and offer our support to researchers committed to advancing this field.