Structural Equation Modeling of the Role of Pornography Addiction in Predicting Marital Infidelity with the Mediation of Emotional Loneliness and Dysfunctional Sexual Fantasies

Zivari Rahman, Mahmoud; Pour Mojahad, Somayeh

doi:10.22098/jfrs.2025.16950.1234

Structural Equation Modeling of the Role of Pornography Addiction in Predicting Marital Infidelity with the Mediation of Emotional Loneliness and Dysfunctional Sexual Fantasies

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences and Counseling, Sayyed Jamaleddin Asadabadi University, Asadabad, Iran.

² Head of the Counseling and Psychological Services Center, General Department of Education, Hamedan Province

10.22098/jfrs.2025.16950.1234

Abstract

Objective: Marital infidelity is one of the major challenges in couples' relationships, and can be influenced by pornography addiction. This study aimed to examine the role of pornography addiction in predicting marital infidelity, with the mediating role of emotional loneliness and dysfunctional sexual fantasies.
Methods: This study employed a descriptive, correlational design. The population comprised men and women with a history of marital infidelity who had sought counseling services at educational centers in Hamadan province. From this population, a sample of 320 individuals was selected via convenience sampling. Data were collected using Grubbs et al.'s (2010) Pornography Addiction Scale, DiTommaso et al.'s (2004) Loneliness Scale, Wilson's (1998) Sexual Fantasy Questionnaire, and Yeniceri and Kokdemir's (2006) Marital Infidelity Questionnaire. To evaluate the fit of the conceptual model, structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed using AMOS 24.
Results: The proposed model demonstrated acceptable fit (χ²/df = 3.57, GFI = 0.879, CFI = 0.623, RMSEA = 0.089). A significant direct relationship was found between pornography addiction and marital infidelity. Moreover, emotional loneliness and dysfunctional sexual fantasies significantly mediated this relationship.
Conclusion: Pornography addiction can have a severe impact on marital relationships. Addressing its psychological consequences, including emotional loneliness and dysfunctional sexual fantasies, is essential for developing effective prevention strategies and improving relationship quality among couples.

Keywords

References

Abbaspour Gelsefidi, M., & Khaleghipour, S. (2025). Causal Modeling of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Based on Posttraumatic Growth and Sense of Coherence with Mediating Role of Feelings of Loneliness in Women Affected by Husband’s Marital Infidelity. Journal of Modern Psychological Researches, 19(76), 84–96. Doi:10.22034/jmpr.2024.62712.6315

Aghamiri, F. S., Luetz, J. M., & Hills, K. (2022). Pornography addiction and its impacts on intimate female partner wellbeing—A systematic narrative synthesis. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 40(4), 472–480. Doi:10.1080/10550887.2021.2021058

Atapour, N., Falsafinejad, M. R., Ahmadi, K., & Khodabakhshi-Koolaee, A. (2021). A Study of the Processes and Contextual Factors of Marital Infidelity. Practice in Clinical Psychology, 9(3), 211–226. Doi:10.32598/jpcp.9.3.758.2

Beyramvand, Y., Omidi Arjenaki, Z., & Salehzadeh, M. (2024). Predicting the Tendency to Marital Infidelity Based on the Use of Internet Pornography with Mediating Role of Marital Quality. Journal of Applied Psychological Research, 14(4), 185–201. Doi:10.22059/japr.2024.336861.644159

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall.

Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529. Doi:10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497

Busch, T. M., Goodwin, G. J., Dempsey, M. R., Conrads, G. S., & Wilson, S. M. (2024). Exploring the Impact of Fantasizing on Romantic Relationships and Attachment. Sexuality & Culture. Doi:10.1007/s12119-024-10289-x

Corral, C., & Calvete, E. (2014). Early maladaptive schemas and personality disorder traits in perpetrators of intimate partner violence. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 17 (1): Doi:1-10. 10.1017/sjp.2014.1

DiTommaso, E., Brannen, C.L., & Best, L.A. (2004). Measurement and Validity Characteristics of the Short Version of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 64, 119 - 99. Doi:10.1177/001316440325845

Finkel, E. J., Hui, C. M., Carswell, K. L., & Larson, G. M. (2014). The Suffocation of Marriage: Climbing Mount Maslow Without Enough Oxygen. Psychological Inquiry, 25(1). Doi:10.1080/1047840x.2014.863723

Ghazanfari Shabankare, M., Heidari, A., Makvandi, B., & Marashian, F. S. (2021). Relationship of Forgiveness and Feeling of Loneliness with Attitudes toward Marital Infidelity Regarding the Moderating Role of Marital Satisfaction in Married Students. Avicenna Journal of Neuro Psycho Physiology, 8(2), 77–83. Doi:10.32592/ajnpp.2021.8.2.103

Gheibi, M. N. , Karimi Sani, P. and Karimi, Q. (2025). Analyzing Effective Individual, Interpersonal, and Social Factors in Reducing Marital Infidelity in the Virtual Space: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Family Relations Studies, 5(2), 21-33. Doi:10.22098/jfrs.2025.16580.1228

Grubbs, J.B., Sessoms, J.C., Wheeler, D.M., & Volk, F. (2010). The Cyber-Pornography Use Inventory: The Development of a New Assessment Instrument. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 17, 106 - 126. Doi:10.1080/10720161003776166

Healy-Cullen, S., Taylor, K., & Morison, T. (2024). Youth, Pornography, and Addiction: A Critical Review. Current Addiction Reports, 11(2), 265–274. Doi:10.1007/s40429-024-00549-z

JCL, M. T. (2010). The effects of pornography addiction on marital consent. Studia Canonica, 44(2), 343.

Jha, A., & Banerjee, D. (2022). Neurobiology of Sex and Pornography Addictions: A Primer. Journal of Psychosexual Health, 4(4), 227–236. Doi:10.1177/26318318221116042

Jowkar, B., & Salimi, A. (n.d.). Examining the psychometric properties and validity of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (SELSA-S). Majazi, 1(1), 0–0. SID. https://www.behavsci.ir/article_67748.html

Karimi, Sara, Yousefi, Rahim, & Soleymani, Mehran. (2019). making marital infidelity questionnaire as valid one. clinical psychology & personality (daneshvar raftar), 17(1 (32) ), 237-248. sid. https://sid.ir/paper/208782/en

Kline, R. B. (2021). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (5th ed.). Guilford Press.

Mardhatillah, A. (2017). Youth Pornography Exposure: Addiction Screening Test and Treatment Recommendation. http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0817.php?rp=P686674

Meydani, A., Atadokht, A. and Mikaeli, N. (2022). The Role of Brain/Behavioral Systems, Prosocial Personality, and Cognitive and Emotional Empathy in Predicting Extramarital Relationships. Journal of Family Relations Studies, (), -. Doi:10.22098/jhrs.2022.10746.1056

Mohammadi, A., Imani, S., & Khoshkonesh, A. (2022). The Comparing Effectiveness of Narrative Exposure Therapy and Emotion- Focused Couple Therapy on Loneliness and Marital Intimacy among Women Affected Infidelity. Iranian Journal of Psychiatric Nursing, 10(5), 70–81. Doi:10.22034/IJPN.10.5.4

Mohammadpour Doughabadi, N., Kimiaei, S A., Ahmady, K. & Kareshki, H. (2021). Psychometric Characteristics of Iranian Version of Wilson Sexual Fantasy Questionnaire in Iranian Couples. IJPN, 9 (5) :1-13 http://ijpn.ir/article-1-1872-fa.html

Nikmanesh, Z., & Ganjali, S. (2021). Relationship Between the Use of Pornography and Marital Sexual Satisfaction with Attitudes Towards Marital Infidelity in Married Women in Zahedan City. International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction, 10(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.5812/ijhrba.109168

Nikmehr, P., Salmani, A. & Jafari, E. (2021). Investigating the Role of Social Anxiety in Predicting Students' Academic Self-Efficacy. Journal of Family Relations Studies, 1(1), 51-58. Doi:10.22098/jhrs.2022.1422

Rustin, C., Ratele, K., & Florence, M. (2024). Pornography and Quality of Life: An African Feminist Psychological Lens. In M. Florence, W. Vanderplasschen, M. Yu, J. De Maeyer, & S. Savahl (Eds.), Handbook of Addiction, Recovery and Quality of Life: Cross-cutting Perspectives from Around the Globe (pp. 393–407). Springer Nature Switzerland. Doi:10.1007/978-3-031-65873-0_27

Shackelford, T. K., Besser, A., & Goetz, A. T. (2008). Personality, martial satisfaction, and probability of marital infidelity. Individual Differences Research, 6(1), 13–25. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2008-05654-002

Shadgahraz, S., Ataran, E., Khodadadijokar, F., Moghadam, M. A., & Abad, A. H. M. M. (2022). Survey of the sexual satisfaction and the prevalence of marital infidelity (online and sexual) in the Iranian population. Psychology of Woman Journal, 3(3), Article 3. Doi:10.61838/kman.pwj.3.3.2

Smaniotto, B., Le Bigot, J., & Camps, F.-D. (2022). “Pornography Addiction”: Elements for Discussion of a Case Report. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51(2), 1375–1381. Doi:10.1007/s10508-021-02133-2

Stefanska, E. B., Longpré, N., & Rogerson, H. (2024). Relationship Between Atypical Sexual Fantasies, Behavior, and Pornography Consumption. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 68(9), 915–935. Doi:10.1177/0306624X221086569

Tunçel, A. (2025). Sexual Fantasies: Attachment Style. In T. K. Shackelford (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior (pp. 1–6). Springer Nature Switzerland. Doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_2204-1

Vega, C. S. (2024). 8: Sexual fantasies and older, Indigenous Purépecha women: sociocultural constraints and possibilities. Doi:10.46692/9781447368441.010

Voon, V., Mole, T. B., Banca, P., Porter, L., Morris, L., Mitchell, S., Lapa, T. R., Karr, J., Harrison, N. A., Potenza, M. N., & Irvine, M. (2014). Neural correlates of sexual cue reactivity in individuals with and without compulsive sexual behaviours. PLoS ONE, 9(7), e102419. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0102419

Webster, K. (2022). Pornography Use And Its Effect On Marital Quality. Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/3866

Wilson GD. (1988). Measurement of sex fantasy. Sexual and Marital Therapy.1;3(1):45-55. Doi:10.1080/02674658808407692

Wilson, G.D. (2010). Measurement of Sex Fantasy. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 25, 57-67. Doi:10.1080/14681990903550134

Yeniceri, Zuhal & Kokdemir ,Dogan (2006). University student’s perceptions of and explanations for infidelity: the development of the infidelity quessionnaire (INFQ). social behavior and personality, 34(6): 639-650. Doi:10.2224/sbp.2006.34.6.639

Zivari Rahman, M., Ghanbari, S., & Shokouhi-Moghadam, S. (2021). Psychometric Properties of the Youth Pornography Addiction Screening Tool. Addiction & Health, 13(4), 207–220. Doi:10.22122/ahj.v13i4.299

Zhong, L., & Vangelisti, A. L. (2025). Conceptualizing Injured Partners’ Relational Uncertainty Following Marital Infidelity: A Relational Turbulence Theory Perspective. Journal of Family Communication, 25(1), 57–75. Doi:10.1080/15267431.2024.2433206