What Do We Know About the Effects of Pornography After Fifty Years of Academic Research?

This book presents an innovative cross-disciplinary report on research across the humanities and social sciences about the relationship between pornography and its consumers.

For policy makers and the wider public it can be difficult to obtain a clear understanding of the current state of knowledge on pornography and its relationships with audiences, due to the often-contradictory nature of research spanning the various and politically diverse academic disciplines. The cross-disciplinary expertise of the author team has engaged in an extensive examination of the findings of academic research in the area in order to explain, in a clear and accessible style, the most important conclusions about the relationship of pornography to Healthy Sexual Development.

This short and accessible overview is suitable for students and scholars in Psychology, Sexual Health, Film Studies, Sex Education, Queer Theory, Gender Studies, Sexuality Studies, Sociology, Media Studies and Cultural Studies.

Alan McKee is a Professor in Digital and Social Media at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, and an expert on entertainment and healthy sexual development. He recently completed an Australian Research Council Discovery grant entitled ‘Pornography’s effects on audiences: explaining contradictory research data’. He also worked on an ARC Linkage grant with True (previously Family Planning Queensland) to investigate the use of vulgar comedy to reach young men with information about healthy sexual development. He has published on entertainment education for healthy sexuality in journals including the Archives of Sexual Behavior, the International Journal of Sexual Health, the Journal of Sex Research and Sex Education.

Katerina Litsou is a PhD researcher of psychology at the University of Southampton, UK. She has conducted research on pornography use and she is specifically interested in women’s pornography use. She has a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Master of Sexology.

Paul Byron is a postdoctoral researcher of digital and social media at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. He has undertaken qualitative research on young people’s digital intimacies, including studies of dating/hook-up app use, pornography, sexual health and LGBTQ+ communities online. His current research focuses on LGBTQ+ young people's digital peer support for mental health. He is author of the book Digital Media, Friendship and Cultures of Care (Routledge 2021).

Roger Ingham is a Professor of Health and Community Psychology at the University of Southampton, UK, and Director of the Centre for Sexual Health Research. He has been conducting research into many aspects of sexual and reproductive health and related issues for over 30 years, he has published widely and has worked with governments and other local and international agencies in many countries. His undergraduate degree in Psychology was obtained from University College London, UK, and his DPhil was awarded by the University of Oxford, UK.