Internet pornography usage among Malaysian university students: is it a problem?

Introduction: The use of Internet pornography has become prevalent in recent years, particularly for the younger generation. However, the task of assessing this usage has been difficult, particularly among religious populations. As Malaysians are considered religious following most people’s belongingness to some religious faiths, this study therefore uses an inventory specifically developed to analyze feelings of guilt and distress among religious populations following their Internet pornography usage. Materials and Methods: In this study, the Cyber-Pornography Use Inventory along with socio-demographic data questionnaire were distributed to 216 university students who were studying in a public university and a preuniversity centre in an awareness talk organized by the university regarding Sexual and Reproduction Health. Informed consent was obtained and information sheets were distributed prior to the survey. Results: Among the respondents, 90.7% were males. They consist of Muslims (50.2%), Buddhists (33.3%), Hindus (10.8%) and Christians (5.6%). Their age range are between 18-28 years old. Prevalence of pornography use in the past six months is 48.6% (N=105) while prevalence of perceived addiction to Internet pornography is 13.4% (N=29). Male students engaged in online pornography more than female students. Pearson correlation indicated that guilt associated with pornography viewing were also positively associated with isolation and efforts to keep the pornography activities a secret, and involvement in compulsivity and social sexual-related activities online. Conclusion: Results yields characteristics of university students in Malaysia who experience guilt nevertheless still engage in compulsive pornography use. It gives light as to possible psychosocial intervention that can be carried with this student population. Limitations include inability to generalize findings due to cross-sectional study design and limited number of respondents