The Role of Religiosity and Personal Faith in Young People's Sexual Debut and Sexual Risk Taking: A Bayesian Approach.

Using a Bayesian statistical approach, this study aimed to provide a robust assessment of associations between religiosity and personal faith, timing of sexual initiation and sexual risk taking in young people. To produce posterior probability distribution of the estimation of associations, this study combined two population-based surveys of emerging Croatian adults and meta-analytical estimates pertaining to international studies published between 2000 and 2020. Regardless of the prior used, age at sexual debut was delayed by both religiosity (correlations ranged from 0.10 to 0.13) and personal faith (r = 0.09-0.13). Apart from delaying sexual debut, the findings suggest a very limited role of religiosity and personal faith in the protection of sexual and reproductive health among young people.

A meta-analytic exploration of associations between religious service attendance and sexual risk taking in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Findings since 2000 about the association between the frequency of religious service attendance (formal religiosity) and sexual risk taking in adolescents and emerging adults were explored. A systematic literature search (April 2020) focused on articles with data on religiosity and age at sexual debut, number of sexual partners, condom use at most recent sexual intercourse, and consistent condom use. A total of 27 studies with 37,430 participants (Mage = 18.4, range: 12-25, 43.5% male) were included. In random-effects meta-analysis, the link between formal religiosity and sexual risk taking was significant only for age at sexual debut (r = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.13) and the number of sexual partners (r = -0.14, 95% CI = -0.19, -0.09). Weak associations between the constructs of interest indicate that formal religiosity is not sufficient to protect young people's sexual health.

Religiosity, Perceived Effects of Pornography Use on Personal Sex Life, and Moral Incongruence: Insights from the German Health and Sexuality Survey (GeSiD).

Although online pornography use appears to be a mainstream activity, there is little information, particularly outside of the USA, about how consumers perceive its impact on their sexuality. Considering increasing concerns about pornography use, this lack of evidence has sociocultural and clinical ramifications - especially because the recently proposed Moral Incongruence model (MI) suggests that some individuals may see their pornography use as problematic independently of the frequency of use. Using data from 4,177 adults from the 2018-2019 national probability-based German Health and Sexuality Survey, we explored self-perceived impact of pornography use on personal sex life and the role of MI. Most participants (61.7%) reported no impact of pornography. Women were characterized by significantly higher odds of reporting positive relative to no impact, while men had higher odds of reporting mixed/negative compared to no impact. Participants in both the positive and the mixed impact group reported a significantly higher frequency of pornography use than participants in the no impact group. In line with the MI model, we observed a significant relationship between participants' religious upbringing and self-perceived negative (relative to mixed) impact of pornography use. Social relevance and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

Religious faith and sexual risk taking among adolescents and emerging adults: A meta-analytic review.

RATIONALE: Although there is some evidence that religious faith may offer protection against sexual risk taking in adolescence and emerging adulthood, no attempts have been made to systematically quantify the association. OBJECTIVE: Using data from studies conducted in the 2000-2020 period, this meta-analysis aimed to estimate the link between religious faith and four sexual risk-taking behaviors in samples of adolescents and emerging adults. METHODS: Five different search systems were used to conduct a systematic literature search in April 2020. Studies that contained quantitative data on religious faith and at least one indicator of sexual risk taking (age at sexual debut, number of sexual partners, condom use at most recent sexual intercourse, and consistent condom use) were searched for. In total, 35 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, in English, were identified. Random-effects meta-analytic approach was used to assess target associations among 41,758 adolescents and emerging adults (Mage = 18.9 years, 37% male). To estimate the effect across the four risk indicators, we employed robust variance estimation (RVE) method. RESULTS: We found small associations between religious faith on the one hand and age at sexual debut (r = 0.08, 95% CI = 0.03, 0.12) and the number of sexual partners on the other hand (r = -0.15, 95% CI = -0.21, -0.09). No association with condom use was observed. With all studies included, the overall effect size was 0.11 (95% CI = 0.06, 0.16), indicating a small (protective) role of religious faith in young people's sexual risk taking. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the limited role of religious faith in young people's sexual and reproductive health, comprehensive sexuality education remains essential for risk-reduction, even among more religious young people.

Are We Losing the Most Relevant Cases First? Selective Dropout in Two Longitudinal Studies of Adolescent Pornography Use.

In longitudinal studies of pornography use, selective loss of participants who may be more vulnerable to the effects of pornography than their peers is a serious concern. To explore the potential for such selective dropout, we used data from two independent large-scale panel studies of adolescents' pornography use. Of the three types of attrition-early attrition, later attrition, and gaps in participation-only the first was substantially higher among more vulnerable adolescents, compared with other participants. Panel type (online vs. classroom-based) moderated only the association between vulnerability and participation gaps, which was significant in the classroom-based but not the online panel. Overall, this study's findings point to the importance of delaying selective dropout by developing a comprehensive plan of action, for which we offer some guidelines.

Self-Assessed Effects of Pornography Use on Personal Sex Life: Results from a Large-Scale Study of Norwegian Adults.

Objectives: The study explored characteristics associated with the self-assessed effects of pornography use on one's personal sex life. Methods: Data were collected in a probability-based sample of Norwegian adults (n = 4,160). Results: Most participants (41.3%) did not believe that pornography affected their sex life. More participants reported positive (33.2%) than mixed/negative (25.5%) effects of pornography use. Sociodemographic and sexual characteristics that predicted these self-assessments were examined. Among participants in a steady relationship, emotional intimacy and relationship satisfaction were unrelated to the self-assessed effects. Conclusions: The current study findings add to scant literature about the self-assessed effects of pornography usage.

Associations between adolescents' use of sexually explicit material and risky sexual behavior: A longitudinal assessment.

The unprecedented accessibility and affordability of online sexually explicit material (SEM) has facilitated widespread use among adolescents and growing concerns over adverse reproductive health outcomes. Although SEM-induced risky sexual behavior is among key concerns, there is a paucity of longitudinal research addressing this issue. This study aimed to assess the longitudinal association between frequency of SEM use and risky sexual behavior among adolescents in two independent 5-wave panel samples of Croatian adolescents (n = 368; n = 247). The indicators of risky sexual behavior were: (1) not using a condom at most recent sexual intercourse, and (2) reporting two or more sexual partners. Multilevel logistic regression analysis with a lagged component was used to explore the associations of interest. Controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, pubertal timing and sensation seeking, frequency of SEM use was not associated with the two indicators of sexual risk taking. This study's findings are relevant for health and educational experts, but also for concerned parents.

Does Asking Adolescents About Pornography Make Them Use It? A Test of the Question-Behavior Effect.

Longitudinal survey design is the preferred method for the robust assessment of outcomes associated with socially undesirable or potentially harmful sexual behaviors. However, repeated measurement may induce the question-behavior effect (QBE)-the phenomenon where asking about a behavior changes the probability of engaging in the behavior in the future. Using an online panel sample of Croatian adolescents (Mage at baseline = 15.8, SD = .50), the present study explored the QBE in the context of adolescent pornography use. To this end we compared the frequency of pornography use six months after the initial survey (T2) between adolescents who participated in both baseline (T1) and T2 survey assessments (n = 1,053; 41% of males) and those who began the study at T2 (n = 130; 42% of males). In line with the findings from a recent Dutch study, we found no evidence that surveying adolescent pornography consumption increased participants' reports of subsequent use. Implications of the findings for studying pornography use in young people are discussed.

Longitudinal associations between the use of sexually explicit material and adolescents' attitudes and behaviors: A narrative review of studies.

This review analyzed longitudinal studies examining the effects of sexually explicit material on adolescents' attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. The review also aimed to provide an analysis of the limitations of the existing studies, as well as recommendations for future research. To be included, publications had to employ repeated measurements, include a measure of sexually explicit material use and participants aged 18 years or under. A total of 20 papers from nine different research projects were reviewed. The results show that sexually explicit material is associated with sexual behavior, sexual norms and attitudes, gender attitudes, self-esteem, sexual satisfaction, uncertainty and preoccupancy. In addition, the studies reported developmental effects on adolescents' behavioral, cognitive and emotional well-being. Because experimental studies among adolescents are not feasible, more methodologically rigorous longitudinal studies-followed by a meta-analysis-are needed to further our understanding of the effects of sexually explicit material in this population.