The Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression: The Role of Pornography as a Secondary Risk Factor

Abstract

The Confluence Model (CM) highlights the role of Hostile Masculinity (HM) and Impersonal Sex (IS) as primary risk factors for sexual aggression. According to the CM, pornography is a secondary risk factor for sexual aggression among men who are high in HM and IS. The role of pornography consumption in the CM has produced divergent findings; however, a subset of men use pornography for mood management (to cope with negative emotions). These men are at risk of developing problematic pornography use, suggesting a need to consider motives for pornography use in the context of the CM. The present study tested the CM with a focus on the role of pornography as a mood management motive in a sample of males (n = 412). The central components of the CM (HM and IS) were associated with sexual aggression. There was also an independent association between the mood management motive of watching pornography and sexual aggression, suggesting that the mood management motive of watching pornography may be an independent risk factor for sexual aggression. In contrast to our hypothesis, the mood management motive did not moderate the association between the primary risk factors (HM, IS) and sexual aggression. The findings of this study replicate past findings and build on the literature by suggesting that pornography use as mood management is predictive of sexual aggression.