The present study aimed to explore whether scores on the Cyber Pornography Use Inventory-9 (CPUI-9) are reflective of actual compulsivity. We examined whether CPUI-9 scores are predicted by failed abstinence attempts and failed abstinence attempts × abstinence effort (conceptualized as actual compulsivity), controlling for moral disapproval. A group of 76 male Internet pornography users received instructions to abstain from Internet pornography for 14 days and to monitor their failed abstinence attempts. Greater Perceived Compulsivity scores (but not Emotional Distress scores) were predicted by abstinence effort, and failed abstinence attempts when abstinence effort was high. Moral disapproval predicted Emotional Distress scores, but not Perceived Compulsivity scores. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Further comment: In men who tried to give up viewing internet porn for 14 days, but were permitted to engage in other “alternative sexual activity” (masturbation, partnered sex and viewing non-internet porn), there was a surprisingly high correlation between engaging in alternative sexual activity and internet porn viewing (“failed abstinence”). In other words, “other sexual activity” did not make it easier to abstain from internet porn. From the paper:

[Note: zero means no correlation between two variables; 1.00 means a complete correlation between two variables. The bigger the number the stronger the correlation between the 2 variables.]