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‘No Need for Confusion’ on Pornography’s Harms

Relationships are hurting because of pornography use, regardless of religiosity, gender, or type and frequency

This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

 
By Mary Richards,
Church News

When people walk into Jill Manning’s office in Louisville, Colorado, they are not seeking help for a “perceived” pornography addiction or because they are struggling with their religion’s teachings on the topic — in fact, many have no religion at all.

They are seeking help because of real pain and heartache, Manning explained.

“Either they’re coming in with distress because a relationship is on the brink of collapse or overwhelmed by how difficult this problem is to overcome,” she said. “They are coming in seeking help.”

AdobeStock_72622943.jpg
AdobeStock_72622943.jpg
A young man holds his head in his hands. Data collected over decades shows pornography use harms relationships. Photo is an AdobeStock image.All rights reserved.

 
The licensed marital and family therapist said new research from Brigham Young University and similar data strengthen what many professionals have been saying for decades — pornography use of any kind harms relationships.

Manning testified in front of a U.S. Senate subcommittee in 2005 on this topic, and even then, there was enough data to show that pornography use was a predictor of marital distress, separation and divorce.

“It was correlated with decreased sexual satisfaction, decreased sexual intimacy and an increased risk of infidelity,” she said. “There is enough data and there has been for many years to be clear on where the impact is falling.”

Brian Willoughby, a BYU School of Family Life professor who worked on the most recent study, looked at data from over 3,500 people in committed relationships around the United States, examining pornography-usage associations among gender, perceived addiction and level of religiosity, and type and frequency of pornography use.

“Even when you account for all these factors, there is still this negative effect on relationships,” he said, explaining that all of the trend lines go in the negative direction.

“It provides very compelling evidence that, yes, there is some risk associated with pornography, even with all these other factors in the mix,” he said.
 

Healthy Relationships


Willoughby’s background is in healthy marriage formations. He hopes not only his new research, but all the other research done in this area will help people clearly understand the risks on their current and future relationships.

“If you want the best chance of a successful relationship, you would be avoiding pornography,” he said.

Manning said the data explains that stable, healthy marriages are based on respect, fidelity, good communication, shared values, trust and sexual relations that strengthen the marital bond.

“But when we line up the characteristics of healthy marriages with the data regarding the impact of internet pornography on marriages and families, it is readily apparent that they’re diametrically opposed to one another,” she said.

That’s why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taken such a strong position, outlined in the “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” and in the General Handbook, which states in section 38.6.13:

“The Church condemns pornography in any form. Pornography use of any kind damages individual lives, families and society. It also drives away the Spirit of the Lord. Church members should avoid all forms of pornographic material and oppose its production, dissemination and use.”

Manning said the Church is not the only religion or group or entity with such teachings. But the multibillion-dollar pornography industry has lobbyists and advocates who attack religion and people of faith.

Meanwhile, Willoughby’s study showed that pornography use of any type had a negative impact, whether someone had low religiosity or high religiosity.

New Conversations


Willoughby said couples may not be aware of how much risk or harm their pornography use is causing in their relationship.

“I’m hoping that research like this can start conversations for policymakers and others about the need to educate the public about the potential harms of pornography and create better resources for individuals and couples on navigating this topic,” he said.

Manning said it’s time to further the conversation and broaden the focus of pornography’s harms to be more helpful in intervention.

She listed the following topics to broaden that focus:

  1. Pornography’s effect on attraction.
  2. Pornography’s relationship to suicide ideation and risk.
  3. Pornography use and correlation with relational trust and honesty.
  4. Mismatched understanding between partners between what is actually being consumed.
  5. Pornography use and parenting quality.
  6. Mental illness and pornography use.
  7. Core values and how that shifts over time.
  8. Trauma’s relationship to pornography use.

“There’s plenty of work to be done that I believe aligns better with what people are bringing into clinical settings, and also wrestling with in their quiet moments,” Manning said. “They’re not talking about perceived addiction, they are in the trenches of feeling pain, hurt, betrayal and overwhelmed, thinking, ‘How do I get out of this dark pit?’”


 

Help and Resources

Manning said many people may not be aware that there are credible and reliable assessment tools to determine where someone falls on the continuum of having a clinical issue with pornography.

The mental health and medical world uses ICD 11, the latest classification of diseases worldwide. In it, 6C72 is the code for compulsive sexual behavior disorder.

“The definition is very clear,” Manning said. “It says compulsive sexual behavior disorder is characterized by a persistent pattern of failure to control intense repetitive sexual impulses or urges resulting in repetitive sexual behavior.”

“I want people to know there is no need for confusion,” she said. “There are ways to assess and also treat these issues. There is hope.”

addressing pornography
addressing pornography
Addressing pornography: 5 principles of change. Graphic by Church News. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company.

 
The Church also provides the following resources to help people whose lives are affected by pornography:

The General Handbook explains that in addition to the help of Church leaders, some members may need professional counseling. Leaders may contact Family Services for assistance if needed.

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