In June 2019 Dr Darryl Mead and Mary Sharpe prepared a manifesto for pornography research. It was delivered at the International Conference on Behavioral Addictions in Yokohama, Japan. TRF’s researchers are seen here with Dr Marc Potenza and Gretchen Blycker at the conference.
Our paper is called Aligning the “Manifesto for a European Research Network into Problematic Usage of the Internet” with the Diverse Needs of the Professional and Consumer Communities Affected by Problematic Usage of Pornography. It sets out The Reward Foundation’s suggestions for research over the next decade within the European Union’s COST Action framework.
It is now available on open access in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). You can see it at https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/10/3462. This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet and Smartphone Use-Related Addiction Health Problems: Treatment, Education and Research.
This IJERPH article is the first step in creating a research development plan taking audience needs into account.
Abstract
The Manifesto for a European research network into Problematic Usage of the Internet was published in May 2018. It was written from the perspective of the COST Action Network, a programme of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology CA16207 and is expected to have significant influence on research funding priorities over the next decade. The Manifesto identified nine key research priorities to advance understanding in the field. Our analysis shows that while at the most general level it identified problematic usage of pornography (PUP) as a key research priority, it then barely mentioned it again within the body of the report.
This paper uses the Manifesto’s framework to suggest research areas into the problematic usage of pornography which are of particular relevance to clinicians and other professionals working in the field who want to develop approaches to assist individuals and target groups affected by PUP. It also looks at potential research opportunities inspired by the lived-experience of users withdrawing from PUP. A large number of opportunities are identified for new work on PUP across all nine key research areas of the Manifesto.
Keywords: problematic usage of pornography; manifesto; problematic usage of the internet; COST action network; behavioural addiction research.
Another TRF paper cited
TRF has also published other papers in peer-reviewed journals. You can find links to all our papers here. Our 2018 ICBA conference analysis has recently been cited in a paper published in the journal Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity. It is called ‘Exploring the Lived Experience of Problematic Users of Internet Pornography: A Qualitative Study’.
