2018 UCAP Conference

Much of the discussion about the harms of pornography focuses on compulsive use and how these addictive patterns impact individuals and couples. However, this focus on addiction may inadvertently suggest that pornography is only a problem when use levels reach the threshold of addiction. However, recent research studies suggest that couple relationships can be negatively impacted by non-compulsive pornography use too. This session will discuss these research findings and examine the specific ways that even casual pornography use can undermine the emotional and physical bonds in a couple’s relationship.

Jason S. Carroll, Ph.D. is a Professor of Marriage and Family Studies in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University and a Fellow of the Wheatley Institution. Dr. Carroll is an internationally-recognized researcher and educator in the areas of marriage fragmentation, sexual intimacy, marriage readiness among young adults, the effectiveness of marriage education, and modern threats to marriage (such as pornography, delayed age at marriage, materialism, premarital sexuality, and non-marital childbirth). Dr. Carroll’s work has been featured in the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the LA Times, Newsweek, USA Today, Psychology Today Magazine, National Public Radio, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and other popular media and news outlets. In 2014, Dr. Carroll received the Berscheid-Hatfield Award for Distinguished Mid-Career Achievement, an annual award given for distinguished scientific achievement by the International Association for Relationship Research.