Attachment styles, pornography use, emotional suppression and sexual compulsive behaviors in young adults
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Date
2025
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UMT, Lahore
Abstract
The present study aimed to examine the relationship between attachment styles, pornography use, emotional suppression, and compulsive sexual behaviors in young adults. Employing a correlational and cross-sectional research design, a sample of 300 university students (n=142 males, n=158 females) from Lahore was selected using purposive sampling. Data was collected using demographic sheet along with standardized measures, including the Revised Adult Attachment Style Scale (Anjum & Batool, 2016), Pornography Consumption Inventory (Reid et al., 2011), Emotion Regulation Scale (Durrani & Mahmood, 2016), and Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory-13 (Miner et al., 2017). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 25, incorporating correlation analysis, linear regression, independent sample t-tests, and ANOVA. The findings revealed weak but significant positive associations between attachment styles (close, dependent, and anxious) and pornography use. Additionally, emotional suppression exhibited a weak positive correlation with anxious and close attachment styles and emerged as a significant predictor of compulsive sexual behaviors. A weak yet significant association was also found between pornography use and compulsive sexual behaviors. Furthermore, gender differences were observed, with males reporting higher levels of pornography use and compulsive sexual behaviors compared to females. These findings highlight the need for further research to explore underlying psychological mechanisms and the development of targeted interventions to address compulsive sexual behaviors in young adults.