Main description:

Pornography, also known as sexually explicit material intended to cause sexual arousal, has been hailed by many as a growing public health crisis. Multiple states have now passed resolutions declaring pornography a harm to individual and collective health for inciting epidemics of sexual assault, human trafficking, and compulsive use. But research on the impact of pornography reveals a complicated story behind the straightforward narrative of abuse, including the
repression of sex positive materials in the pursuit of pornographic containment.

Pornography and Public Health uses a rigorous evidence-based approach to explore the positive and negative effects of pornography on public health, revealing how pornography came to be considered a public health crisis despite the lack of US governmental support. While pornographic content varies widely, this book provides a holistic overview of the people who view pornography, what they are most likely to see, how content has changed over time, and how these changes appear to
influence some users. Each chapter explores controversies related to important subtopics in pornography scholarship including aggression, body image, and problematic use, as well as acknowledging the benefits that porn and porn literacy can provide in some contexts. Drawing on meticulous research and close readings
of the available data, Emily F. Rothman explores the implications of existing evidence for practice and policy and offers meaningful guidance for public health scholars interested in understanding, and resolving, one of the most complicated issues in health and human behavior of our time.

With unique academic insights, Pornography and Public Health avoids moralizing to argue that we can take steps to minimize possible harms from pornography while simultaneously protecting sexual liberty and promoting respect for pornography performers.

Contents:

Preface

Chapter 1: Pornography as a US Public Health Problem

Chapter 2: Defining Pornography

Chapter 3: Pornography Viewers

Chapter 4: Pornography Content

Chapter 5: Pornography and Aggression

Chapter 6: Problematic Pornography Use

Chapter 7: Pornography and Intimate Partnerships

Chapter 8: The Effects of Pornography on Youth

Chapter 9: Pornography and Body Image

Chapter 10: Child Sexual Abuse Imagery

Chapter 11: Pornography and Human Trafficking

Chapter 12: The Occupational Safety and Health of Pornography Performers

Chapter 13: The Benefits of Pornography

Chapter 14: Pornography Literacy