Problematic Pornography Use as a Predictor of Depressive and Apathetic Symptoms in Slovak Young Adults

INTRODUCTION: Problematic pornography use (PPU) has been increasingly recognized as a relevant factor in mental health research, mainly in relation to depression and apathy. Its association with apathy, reflecting diminished motivation and emotional engagement, remains largely unexplored. This study examined the predictive role of PPU on depressive and apathetic symptoms among young adults and explored gender differences in depression.

METHODS: The sample included 408 Slovak young adults who completed self-report measures assessing PPU, depression, and apathy. Hierarchical linear regression was used to test whether PPU predicts depressive and apathetic symptoms, with gender included as an additional predictor in the depression model.

RESULTS: PPU significantly predicted both depression and apathy. Women reported higher depressive symptoms but lower levels of PPU, whereas men showed the opposite pattern. In both genders, higher PPU was associated with higher depression, while overall, higher PPU was related to lower apathy. Although the explained variance was small (R² = 4.14% for depression; R² = 2.95% for apathy), this likely reflects the low prevalence of PPU in the sample, with only three participants meeting the criteria for problematic use.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that PPU is a meaningful predictor of both depression and apathy, despite explaining a small portion of variance. Gender-specific patterns were observed, with women showing higher depression and lower PPU, and men showing the reverse. The results underscore the relevance of PPU in affective and motivational functioning and highlight the need for further research in larger and more diverse samples.