Web-Based Relationship Education and Pornography-Related Behaviors: A Single-Group Design During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Research surrounding pornography and its impact on individual and relationship functioning is a frequent and ongoing debate in the current literature. However, recent meta-analyses and aggregated studies suggest that relationship distress is associated with higher levels of general pornography use. This may be a reason why a significant number of men and women view pornography and seek help for their use. In the present study, we explored whether participation in the OurRelationship program, a web-based relationship education program that has been empirically shown to reduce relationship distress but is not tailored to reduce general pornography use, was associated with reliable changes in pornography-related behaviors. In a sample of low-income and diverse couples (N = 314 couples; 628 individuals), we observed high completion rates (64.3%) as well as reliable, small-sized decreases in the frequency and duration of pornography use for the average couple (d = 0.12–0.13). Furthermore, post hoc analyses found that individuals who began the program viewing pornography daily reported reliability-larger decreases in pornography-related behaviors (d = 0.32–0.90) than those who viewed pornography less frequently. However, we did not see reliable changes in couples’ arguments about pornography use or perceptions of problematic use. The findings were generally not moderated by gender or lifestyle changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinicians struggling to reduce their client’s general pornography use may consider including a focus on improving general romantic relationship functioning.