Pornography Use and Sexual Well-Being: Exploring Gender Differences Among Mexican Young Adults

Abstract Although pornography use has risen globally, research on its psychological and relational correlates remains centered in Western contexts. This exploratory study examines how pornography use relates to sexual beliefs and behaviors among Mexican young adults, expanding prior research into a Latin American context. Utilizing sexual script theory, which highlights the pathways of sexual learning, often highly gendered in nature, we examined whether frequency of pornography use predicted reliance on pornography for arousal, incorporation of pornography into partnered sex, enjoyment of sexual intimacy, and sexual satisfaction. Results indicated that greater pornography use was associated with increased reliance on pornography for arousal, more frequent incorporation into partnered sexual activity, and lower sexual satisfaction, but was not related to enjoyment of sexual intimacy. Due to measurement invariance, analyses were estimated separately for men and women; however, the direction and statistical significance of the structural associations were consistent across gender-specific models. These findings largely mirror the results of prior research utilizing earlier versions of this survey, particularly in the United States, suggesting similarities across cultures while revealing gender-specific differences in participant responses. This study contributes to a growing body of literature on the global impact of pornography, highlighting both gendered expressions of sexuality and shared underlying patterns in how pornography relates to sexual functioning and well-being. These findings may support professionals in considering cultural and gendered contexts when discussing pornography, sexual expectations, and intimacy with young adults.