{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T14:28:20Z","timestamp":1788791300229,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782086400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Pornography consumption is a global phenomenon, yet empirical research from the Middle East, particularly Syria, is nonexistent. Medical students may be especially vulnerable due to high stress levels. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, patterns, and self-perceived effects of pornography consumption among medical students in Syria, addressing a significant geographical and cultural gap in the literature.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Materials and methods<\/jats:title>\n A cross-sectional study was conducted between August 1, 2024, and November 30, 2024, by researchers from Damascus University Faculty of Medicine, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic. An anonymous online questionnaire adapted from a validated instrument was distributed to Syrian medical students through official university channels and social media platforms. The final sample included 960 participants. The survey collected data on sociodemographics, consumption patterns, self-perceived addiction, cessation attempts, and effects on mental health, academic performance, and sexual satisfaction. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, and binary logistic regression.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n Lifetime exposure to pornography was reported by 720 participants (74.9%), with a mean age of first exposure of 14.8 \u00b1 3.2 years. Logistic regression revealed that high family income (AOR\u2009=\u20092.15, 95% CI [1.48\u20133.12]) and having a private room (AOR\u2009=\u20093.48, 95% CI [2.51\u20134.83]) were significant predictors of lifetime exposure (p\u2009<\u20090.001), while gender was not a significant factor (p\u2009=\u20090.442). Nearly half of the students (463 participants, 48.2%) were current users. Among users, 236 (51.0%) had attempted to quit, with 170 (72.2%) experiencing adverse effects including erotic dreams (53.5%), irritability (26.4%), and attention disturbance (26.0%). Self-perceived addiction was reported by 117 participants (12.2%) overall and 72 participants (15.5%) among current users, with early exposure (\u226412 years) being the strongest predictor (males: OR = 7.25, 95% CI [4.16\u201312.63]; females: OR = 4.23, 95% CI [2.85\u20136.28]).<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n This first investigation of pornography consumption among Syrian medical students reveals high lifetime exposure beginning in early adolescence, associated primarily with socioeconomic factors rather than gender. Cessation attempts and withdrawal-like symptoms were common among current users. Self-perceived addiction was strongly predicted by early exposure, particularly among males. These findings highlight the need for culturally tailored, non-judgmental support services and longitudinal research using validated instruments.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0347631","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T17:38:28Z","timestamp":1782149908000},"page":"e0347631","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Pornography consumption among medical students in Syria: Prevalence, patterns, and predictors"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-3173-1942","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ahmad","family":"Al-Bitar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dana","family":"Al-Masalma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammad","family":"Adi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thayr","family":"Haydar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]]},"reference":[{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0347631.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"795","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare11060795","article-title":"Pornography Use among Lebanese Adults: Association with Loneliness and Fear of Commitment","volume":"11","author":"D Malaeb","year":"2023","journal-title":"Healthcare (Basel)"},{"key":"pone.0347631.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"613244","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2020.613244","article-title":"Compulsive Internet Pornography Use and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Sample of University Students in the United States","volume":"11","author":"C Camilleri","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0347631.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1861","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph16101861","article-title":"Prevalence, patterns and self-perceived effects of pornography consumption in Polish university students: a cross-sectional study","volume":"16","author":"AD Dwulit","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0347631.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1177\/26318318211065648","article-title":"Internet Pornography Use Among Medical Students in India: Extent and Effect","volume":"4","author":"V Kumar","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Psychosexual Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0347631.ref005","article-title":"A Cross-Sectional Study on the Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Ill Effects of Internet Addiction Among Medical Students in Northeastern India","volume":"18","author":"K Nath","year":"2016","journal-title":"Prim Care Companion CNS Disord"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0347631.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"714","DOI":"10.1177\/00912174251329440","article-title":"Prevalence and correlates of problematic pornography use among undergraduate medical students in Egypt","volume":"60","author":"EF Mohamed","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int J Psychiatry Med"},{"key":"pone.0347631.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"727798","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2021.727798","article-title":"Prevalence of Behavioral Addictions and Their Relationship With Stress and Anxiety Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study","volume":"12","author":"AY Hakami","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Psychiatry"},{"key":"pone.0347631.ref008","article-title":"Effect of pornography use on the sexual satisfaction: a systematic review and meta-analysis","author":"F Abdi","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Addict Dis"},{"key":"pone.0347631.ref009","article-title":"Problematic Pornography Use and Physical and Sexual Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Men in Batterer Intervention Programs","volume":"36","author":"MJ Brem","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Interpers Violence"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0347631.ref010","article-title":"Exposure to sexually explicit media in early adolescence is related to risky sexual behavior in emerging adulthood","volume":"15","author":"W-H Lin","year":"2020","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"pone.0347631.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1154","DOI":"10.1007\/s12119-025-10317-4","article-title":"Porn use and sexting in health science students: A transversal descriptive study","volume":"29","author":"MC Mart\u00ednez-Fern\u00e1ndez","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sex Cult"},{"key":"pone.0347631.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"257","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2015.11.046","article-title":"Online sexual activities: An exploratory study of problematic and non-problematic usage patterns in a sample of men","volume":"56","author":"A W\u00e9ry","year":"2016","journal-title":"Comput Hum Behav"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0347631.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"414","DOI":"10.1186\/s12912-025-02918-z","article-title":"Effects of porn addiction on mental health and personality of nursing students: a cross-sectional study in Egypt","volume":"24","author":"NAHA Karim","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMC Nurs"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0347631.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1080\/00224499.2018.1427204","article-title":"Moral incongruence and pornography use: A critical review and integration","volume":"56","author":"JB Grubbs","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Sex Res"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0347631.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2097","DOI":"10.1111\/add.13297","article-title":"Should compulsive sexual behavior be considered an addiction?","volume":"111","author":"SW Kraus","year":"2016","journal-title":"Addiction"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0347631.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18193","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-023-45459-8","article-title":"Clarifying and extending our understanding of problematic pornography use through descriptions of the lived experience","volume":"13","author":"C Ince","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0347631.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.3390\/bs6030017","article-title":"Is Internet Pornography Causing Sexual Dysfunctions? A Review with Clinical Reports","volume":"6","author":"BY Park","year":"2016","journal-title":"Behav Sci (Basel)"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0347631","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T17:38:32Z","timestamp":1782149912000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0347631"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Asma Tahir","family":"Awan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]]},"references-count":17,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0347631","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]]}}}