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. 2025 May 26;13(1):562.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02901-y.

Unraveling the impact of cyberporn motivations on mental health: insights from Chinese college students

Ling Li  1 , Ran Feng  2 , Lu Yang  2 , Rui Lang  3 , Campbell Ince  4 , Chang Liu  5 , Lei Ren  6   7 , Zhengzhi Feng  8 , Kuiliang Li  9
Affiliations

Unraveling the impact of cyberporn motivations on mental health: insights from Chinese college students

Ling Li et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: Internet pornography use is prevalent among college students, yet the impact of internet pornography consumption on mental health remains contentious, with debates on whether it is positive or negative. This study aims to explore the complex relationship between internet pornography consumption and mental health from the perspective of motives for internet pornography use.

Methods: Using a convenience sampling method, this study surveyed 2,938 college students, collecting data on their demographics, depression, anxiety, sleep quality, social interaction anxiety, and motives for internet pornography use. Descriptive statistics and network analysis methods were employed to investigate the relationship between motives for internet pornography use and mental health among college students.

Results: The results revealed that among college students with motives for internet pornography use, the prevalence rates of depression and anxiety were 55.31% and 36.25%, respectively. Motives for internet pornography use were positively correlated with depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and social interaction anxiety. Network analysis indicated that internet pornography behaviors based on enhancement and coping motives might be associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety, whereas behaviors based on social motives might be related to decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Conclusions: This study partially explains the varying impacts of internet pornography consumption on mental health. The findings highlight the importance for policymakers to understand better the potential impact of different motives for internet pornography use on the mental health of college students when regulating internet pornography materials.

Keywords: Anxiety; Cyberpornography use; Depression; Internet pornography use; Mental health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants received informed consent before filling out the questionnaire. This study used an online questionnaire to collect data, and participants could opt to complete the questionnaire within one week. The study procedure was submitted to the Ethics Committee of the Chongqing Key Laboratory of Psychological Diagnosis and Educational Technology for Children with Special Needs for ethical approval. The submitted materials included the research design, questionnaire content, data collection methods, informed consent forms, participant recruitment procedures, and potential risk assessments. The Ethics Committee evaluated the ethicality, safety, and scientific validity of the study and eventually granted ethics approval (Ethics Number: CSTJ-RE-20230620004). Consent for publication: A comprehensive description of the study was provided to participants, and informed consent was obtained from each participant. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Demographic characteristics of participants and correlation analysis of the variables. (a) Distribution of grade; (b) Distribution of hometown; (c) Distribution of internet usage purposes; (d) Prevalence of anxiety and depression among participants; (e and f) Correlation analysis of the variables (Eco: Subjective economic level; Time: Daily mobile phone usage time; SQ: Sleep quality; SIA: Social interaction anxiety; Dep: Depression; Anx: Anxiety; CM: Cybersex Motives)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Network structures and centrality indices of each node. (a) Network structure of CD; (b) Network structure of CA; (c) Expected influence and bridge expected influence centrality indices of each node in the CD network; (d) Expected influence and bridge expected influence centrality indices of each node in the CA network. Note: D1: Anhedonia; D2: Sadness; D3: Sleeping; D4: Fatigue; D5: Appetite; D6: Failure; D7: Concentration; D8: Motor; D9: Suicidality ideation; A1: Nervousness; A2: Controlling worries; A3: Worry too much; A4: Trouble relaxing; A5: Restlessness; A6: Irritability; A7: Feeling afraid; CM1: To get entertained; CM2: To meet somebody; CM3: Because I like the feeling; CM4: Because I need to exchange with other people; CM5: In order to forget my problems or worries; CM6: Because it’s exciting; CM7: For being sociable and appreciated by others; CM8: For watching; CM9: To get a “high” feeling; CM10: For masturbation; CM11: Because it helps me when I’m depressed or nervous; CM12: Simply because it’s fun; CM13: Because it makes a social gathering more enjoyable; CM14: It comforts me when I’m in a bad mood
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Directed acyclic graph (DAG) for CD and CA networks. a and c illustrate the edge thickness indicating the edge’s importance to the overall network structure of CD and CA, respectively; b and d illustrate the thicker lines indicating a greater probability of directionality. See Fig. 2 for label names
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