The Relationship Between Pornographic Media and the Peer Context with the Perpetration of Sexual Cyber Dating Aggression Among Emerging Adults

• N/A

• Author / Creator

  Sciaraffa, Jessica

• Objectives: The objectives of my study were threefold. The first study objective was to examine the relationship between the consumption of pornographic media, including content non-specific (i.e., overall/general) pornography and different types of pornographic content (i.e., violent and degrading, non-violent but degrading, non-violent nor degrading), with the perpetration of sexual cyber dating aggression (CDA) among emerging adults. A second objective was to examine the relationship between peer factors and CDA perpetration, namely, peer-related risk and protective factors associated with CDA perpetration including peer perpetration of dating aggression, peer attitudes toward dating aggression, and friendship quality. Finally, the third objective was to explore whether emerging adults’ attitudes toward dating aggression mediated the relationship between consumption of pornographic media and peer variables with self-reported CDA perpetration. These objectives were primarily examined within a theoretical framework provided by Social Cognitive Theory. Method: Participants were 149 emerging adult men and women aged 18 to 25 who reported currently being in a heterosexual dating relationship or having been in a dating relationship within the past year. Participants completed an anonymous online survey, including online measures of pornography consumption, perceived peer perpetration of dating aggression, perceived peer attitudes toward dating aggression, friendship quality, personal attitudes toward dating aggression, and sexual CDA perpetration. Results: Results highlighted consumption of violent/degrading pornography as a significant predictor of, and potential risk factor for, self-reported perpetration of sexual CDA, such that more frequent consumption was associated with an increased likelihood of perpetration. Findings also suggest that usage of violent/degrading pornographic content might be more detrimental and have a greater impact on CDA perpetration than consumption of pornographic content that is implicitly violent and degrading and content that is neither violent nor degrading. Friendship quality was also identified as a significant predictor of, and potential protective factor for, CDA perpetration, wherein higher friendship quality (i.e., higher social support and lower negative interactions within friendships) was associated with a decreased likelihood of perpetration. This study further identified dating aggression-tolerant attitudes as an important mediator linking consumption of violent/degrading pornography and friendship quality with CDA perpetration. Significant bivariate correlations with CDA perpetration were also found for consumption of content non-specific (i.e., overall/general) pornography, consumption of content-specific pornography types (i.e., violent and degrading, non-violent but degrading, non-violent nor degrading), peer dating aggression perpetration, peer attitudes toward dating aggression, friendship quality, personal attitudes toward dating aggression, and gender. Conclusion: Overall, usage of violent/degrading pornography and friendship quality appear to play an important role in predicting self-reported sexual CDA perpetration, and these relations are mediated by attitudes tolerant of dating aggression. The type of pornographic content may be an important factor to take into consideration when examining the relationship between pornography usage and perpetration. My study provided new insights into the unexplored relationship between peer factors and pornographic media usage with CDA perpetration among emerging adults. Findings add to the growing body of literature examining correlates and predictors or risk/protective factors of CDA perpetration. Future research could extend current findings to longitudinal designs and use larger samples to evaluate more complex models that afford a deeper understanding of pornography consumption and peer-related risk/protective factors for CDA perpetration and the mechanisms that help explain these relations. Findings have practical implications for the development of more targeted dating aggression intervention and prevention programs for emerging adults.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Cyber Dating Aggression
  • Pornography
  • Peers
  • Emerging Adults

• Graduation date

  Fall 2021

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-ffh0-aw83

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.