Porn Recovery Research & Knowledge LibraryThe Development of the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS)
- Authors
- Bőthe, B., Tóth-Király, I., Zsila, Á., Griffiths, M. D., Demetrovics, Z., & Orosz, G.
- Year
- 2018
- Journal
- The Journal of Sex Research
- Type
- Cross-sectional study
- Population
- Hungarian community adults
- Sample size
- 772
- Method
- Cross-sectional survey; scale development and validation (PPCS)
- Last verified
- 2026-10-04
Main question
How can problematic pornography use be measured reliably?
Summary
Bőthe and colleagues (2018) developed the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS), now one of the most widely used instruments for measuring problematic pornography use in research. The scale operationalizes problematic use through six components borrowed from an addiction model.
Why the component structure matters
Because the PPCS embeds concepts such as “tolerance” and “withdrawal” into its items, it does not simply measure problematic use neutrally — it partly assumes an addiction framework. This is relevant to the withdrawal question and to how the PPU construct is defined.
Findings
- Developed and validated the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS), a widely used self-report measure of problematic pornography use.
- The PPCS is organized around a six-component model drawn from an addiction framework: salience, mood modification, conflict, tolerance, withdrawal, and relapse.
- Provided cut-off scores to distinguish non-problematic use from problematic use, later refined in subsequent work.
What this study can support
Provides a widely used research instrument, though not a diagnostic tool.
What it cannot establish
Causal conclusions beyond the study design; generalizations to populations, behaviors, or contexts outside the sample; and any claim not directly measured.
Limitations
- Self-report instrument; its addiction-based component structure is itself a point of scientific debate.
- Validation was largely in convenience samples of young adults.
- verification needed (DOI/PMID not recorded)
Clinical relevance
Provides a widely used research instrument, though not a diagnostic tool.
Relevance to problematic pornography use
Defines the six-component model commonly used to measure PPU.