Crossing the Line: Factors Associated With Escalating Pornography Use – Psychiatry AI: Real-Time AI Scoping Review

AI Summary

Increase in CSAM offending may reflect a pattern of content escalation from mainstream to extreme or illegal pornography rather than a sexual interest in children.
Cross-sectional study of 228 non-clinical men assessed arousal, viewing frequency and content escalation; principal component analysis identified five distinct escalation clusters.
Mainstream content showed highest absolute viewing, but relative escalation was disproportionate in extreme and niche categories linked to CSAM engagement.

AI Summary

Rather than being predominantly driven by an increase in associated sexual interest in children, this may be understood as a pattern of content escalation, from mainstream to extreme or even illegal pornography.

This study examined patterns of content escalation in pornography consumption, psychosocial predictors of such escalation and their association with engagement with CSAM in a cross-sectional study with a non-clinical male sample (N = 228).

While mainstream content exhibited the highest absolute viewing and mean escalation, relative escalation was disproportionately observed in more extreme and niche categories, such as S&M, fetish, teen, group sex and violent content.

Basic summary

J Interpers Violence. 2026 Jun 29:8862605261462151. doi: 10.1177/08862605261462151. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) offending has increased in recent years. Rather than being predominantly driven by an increase in associated sexual interest in children, this may be understood as a pattern of content escalation, from mainstream to extreme or even illegal pornography. This study examined patterns of content escalation in pornography consumption, psychosocial predictors of such escalation and their association with engagement with CSAM in a cross-sectional study with a non-clinical male sample (N = 228). Participants reported arousal, viewing frequency, and content escalation across mainstream, extreme and illegal categories. Principal component analysis revealed five distinct content escalation clusters: Dominance/Degradation, Extreme/Harmful, Non-Traditional Niche, Normative and Atypical. While mainstream content exhibited the highest absolute viewing and mean escalation, relative escalation was disproportionately observed in more extreme and niche categories, such as S&M, fetish, teen, group sex and violent content.

PMID:42370809 | DOI:10.1177/08862605261462151

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