Adolescent pornographic internet site use: A multivariate regression analysis of the predictive factors of use and psychosocial implications

The study objectives were to evaluate the prevalence, predictors, and implications of pornographic Internet site (PIS) use among Greek adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 529 randomly selected Greek high school students. The prevalence of overall PIS use was 19.47% (n=96). Among PIS users, 55 (57.29%) reported infrequent and 41 (42.71%) reported frequent PIS use. The predictors of infrequent PIS use included male gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]= 8.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] =3.52-19.61), Internet use for sexual education (AOR=5.26; 95% CI=1.78-15.55), chat rooms (AOR=2.95; 95% CI=1.48-5.91), and purchases (AOR=3.06; 95% CI=1.22-7.67). The predictors of frequent PIS use were male gender (AOR=19.61; 95% CI=4.46-83.33), Internet use for sexual education (AOR=7.39; 95% CI=2.37-23.00), and less than 10 hours per week Internet use (AOR=1.32; 95% CI=1.10-1.59). Compared to non-PIS users, infrequent PIS users were twice as likely to have abnormal conduct problems (odds ratio [OR] =2.74; 95% CI=1.19-6.28); frequent PIS users were significantly more likely to have abnormal conduct problems (OR=4.05; 95% CI=1.57-10.46) and borderline prosocial score (OR=4.22; 95% CI=1.64-10.85). Thus, both infrequent and frequent PIS use are prevalent and significantly associated with social maladjustment among Greek adolescents.