Parental Mediation Regarding Children’s Pornography Exposure: The Role of Parenting Style, Protection Motivation and Gender

Communication between parent and child regarding pornography can be awkward. In the following study, we examined if parenting style (authoritarian, authoritative, or permissive) and gender was associated with parental mediation strategies (restrictive, active, and co-use) in relation to pornography exposure, mediated by threat appraisal and coping appraisal (protection motivation theory). A sample of 1,070 Israeli parents of 10- to 14-year-old youth completed a set of online questionnaires. Findings suggested that authoritarian and permissive parents, who had lower scores in authoritative parenthood, were more likely to have dysfunctional (i.e., low-quality) communication about pornography and subsequently be less active in their mediation regarding pornography. Conversely, parents who were more authoritative were more likely to perceive 1 the severity of pornography consumption and were more restrictive and active in mediating pornography. Finally, fathers tended to have more dysfunctional communication about pornography than mothers and were consequently less active in their mediation strategies concerning pornography.

In their study Boniel-Nissim, Efrati and Dolev-Cohen (2019) found that parenting style (authoritative and authoritarian) was positively related to parental mediation strategies (restrictive and active). The analyses revealed that a more authoritarian parenting style related to restrictive mediation of pornography. A more authoritative parenting style was linked with all three mediation strategies. A more permissive parenting style was related to co-use mediation. The suggested model showed that parents who are more authoritarian or permissive and lower in authoritative parenthood are more likely to have dysfunctional communication about pornography and consequently be less active in their mediation of pornography. Conversely, parents who are more authoritative are likely to perceive the severity of pornography consumption and are more restrictive and active in mediating pornography. The analyses indicated that fathers were lower on restrictive and active mediation of pornography than mothers were. The model shows that fathers tend to have more dysfunctional communication about pornography with their adolescents than mothers do and be less active in their mediation about pornography.