(862) Motivation for Online Pornography Use Among Medical Students

Introduction Pornography, once confined to physical media, has now become a global digital phenomenon-permanently accessible and virtually unrestricted. This evolution has profoundly reshaped sexual representations and behaviors, particularly among young adults. Objective The objective of this study is to understand the motivations underlying online pornography use among medical students, to better grasp the complex relationship between sexuality, mental health, and the academic environment. Methods This is a monocentric cross-sectional study conducted among medical students between December 2024 and January 2025 through an online questionnaire distributed by email. Online pornography use motivation was evaluated using the Pornography Use Motivation Scale (PUMS-24) in its validated translated version. Results Out of 1,282 emails sent, 38 students agreed to participate in the survey. The mean age of participants was 21 years (range: 18–26 years). More than half of the study population was female, with a sex ratio of 0.8. Students in the first two years of medical studies accounted for 45.7% of the participants. The main reported motivations for pornography use were: sexual pleasure (SP) in 15.8% of cases, lack of sexual satisfaction (LS) in 10.5%, and fantasy fulfillment (FF) in 7.9%. Pornography use as a means of stress reduction (SR), distraction, or emotional suppression (DE) was reported in 5.3% of cases each. Finally, boredom avoidance (BA) and self-exploration (SE) were cited by 2.6% of participants, respectively. Conclusions This analysis of pornography-use motivations among medical students sheds light on the psychological and contextual dynamics underlying this behavior. It underscores the need for a more tailored educational and preventive approach within medical academic settings to promote healthy and informed sexual behavior. The main limit of this study is the small sample size related to the low response rate, which can be related to pornography being a taboo. Disclosure No