Date
4-2021
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision (PhD)
Chair
Fred Volk
Keywords
Social Anxiety, Pornography Use, Loneliness, Avoidance, Internet Use
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Ostrander, Melissa J., "Social Anxiety, Pornography Use, and Loneliness: A Mediation Analysis" (2021). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2940.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2940
Abstract
Research has indicated a positive correlation between pornography use and loneliness; however, with only six published studies to date, more research is required. This study used the extant literature on the relationship between internet use and loneliness to inform the current study since internet use and pornography use are similar constructs, especially in individuals’ use of both to avoid negative emotions and social interactions. Further, social anxiety has been shown in the internet use literature to be a confounder in the relationship between internet use and loneliness, making social anxiety a major variable to consider in the relationship between pornography use and loneliness. This study sought to support the current literature by exploring the relationship between social anxiety and internet use and the relationship between pornography use and loneliness and extend the literature by investigating whether internet use mediates the relationship between social anxiety and loneliness. Additionally, as the relationship between social anxiety and pornography use has not be researched to date, the current study explored this relationship including whether pornography use mediated the relationship between social anxiety and loneliness. Lastly, this study measured whether avoidance moderated the relationship between social anxiety and pornography use. The results indicated that, as hypothesized, social anxiety and internet use were positively correlated, but that internet use did not mediate the relationship between social anxiety and loneliness. The results also showed, as hypothesized, that social anxiety and pornography use were positively correlated and pornography use and loneliness were positive correlated. Finally, the results indicated that pornography use weakly mediated the relationship between social anxiety and loneliness. The moderated mediation analysis was not significant for avoidance.
