Japanese College Students' Exposure to Sexually Explicit Internet Material (SEIM) and Sexual Attitudes

Abstract

This study examined Japanese college students' (N=476) use of sexually explicit material in mass media (i.e., print, electronic, and the Internet) and its association with their sexually permissive attitudes and perceptions of women. Results indicated that Japanese college students were most exposed to sexually explicit material in the print media followed by the Internet and the electronic media. In addition, participants' exposure to sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) was a stronger predictor of their sexually permissive attitudes than their exposures to sexually explicit material in the traditional media (i.e., print and electronic media) However, participants' exposures to sexually explicit material in the traditional media were stronger predictors of Japanese college students' perceptions of women than their exposure to SEIM. Furthermore, sexual interest mediated the relationship between exposure to sexually explicit material on the internet and perceptions of women. Results are discussed in light of cultivation theory, the uses and gratifications perspective, and prior literature in the use of sexually explicit material and its associations with sexually permissive attitudes and perceptions of women.