From Pornography to Somatic Symptoms. A Moderated Mediation Model Involving Moral Disapproval of Pornography and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the association between problematic porn-ography consumption (PPC) and somatic symptoms, and to investigate whether difficultiesin emotion regulation and moral disapproval of pornography play a role in this relationship.Method: A sample of 321 individuals, aged between 18 and 64 years (M ¼ 24.85, SD ¼ 8.93),completed self-report measures assessing problematic pornography consumption, difficultiesin emotion regulation, somatic symptoms, frequency of pornography use, and moral disap-proval of pornography.Results: PPC was positively associated with somatic symptoms and difficulties in emotionregulation. Difficulties in emotion regulation mediated the association between PPC andsomatic symptoms only at high levels of moral disapproval, indicating a moderated medi-ation effect. No significant indirect effect was observed at low or average levels of moraldisapproval.Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of integrating moral, emotional, andsomatic dimensions when conceptualizing problematic pornography consumption. The roleof moral disapproval suggests that individuals experiencing moral conflict may be particu-larly vulnerable to emotion regulation difficulties and somatic manifestations linked to porn-ography use, offering useful implications for future theory and clinical practice