Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Pornography Use Motivations Scale (PUMS) among Iranian adults

The Pornography Use Motivation Scale (PUMS) measures different motivations for which individuals use pornography. Given the high prevalence of pornography and its culture-specific aspects, it is essential to examine the motivations for pornography use across diverse populations, as these reasons may vary across different cultures and countries. Therefore, the aims of this study were to assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the PUMS, including its factor structure, reliability, and validity within the Iranian population and examine their associations with problematic pornography use (PPU) and frequency of pornography use (FPU). In this study, 613 participants (464 men, mean age = 25.5 years, SD = 4.4; range 18–52 years) completed an online cross-sectional survey. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) corroborated the same eight factors as in the original version (i.e., Sexual Pleasure, Sexual Curiosity, Emotional Distraction/Suppression, Stress Reduction, Fantasy, Boredom Avoidance, Lack of Sexual Satisfaction, and Self-Exploration). The Persian version of the scale showed good convergent validity as well as adequate internal consistency. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses indicated that different motivations for pornography use were differentially associated with FPU and PPU; for example, sexual pleasure motivation was positively associated with FPU but showed no significant association with PPU. Overall, the findings suggest that the Persian version of the PUMS demonstrated appropriate psychometric properties among the Iranian population and is recommended for research and clinical purposes.