Pre–post study of a craving regulation training to reduce problematic pornography use in men

A craving regulation training to reduce problematic pornography use in men: an exploratory single-arm pre–post study

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN16886959

Enrollment

Registered

2026-06-15

Start date

2026-05-15

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-06-29

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Problematic pornography use Other

Interventions

This study will employ a single-arm pre-post design without a control group

therefore, no randomization will be performed. All participants will receive a craving regulation training aimed at reducing problematic pornography use. In total, the study will span 8–10 weeks. Fol

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

Male

Age

18 Years to 50 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Male gender 2. Age 18-50 years 3. Heterosexual or bisexual sexual orientation 4. Right-handedness 5. Intention to reduce one’s pornography use 6. Pornography use at least once a month 7. Meeting at least two (out of nine) criteria for problematic pornography use, as defined by the ACSID-11 (Müller et al., 2022)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Current diagnoses of psychosis, mania, substance use disorder (excluding tobacco), compulsive sexual behaviour disorder, or active suicidal ideation 2. Taking medications that affect brain function, except for antidepressants or ADHD-related stimulants 3. Standard fMRI contraindications, including: claustrophobia; pregnancy; epilepsy; a history of surgery involving the heart, lungs, or brain; prior eye injuries involving metallic foreign bodies; implanted medical or electronic devices; vascular implants; metal implants or prostheses; any other non-removable metallic foreign bodies; certain vision impairments; physical constraints preventing safe positioning in the scanner

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Problematic pornography use measured using Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS-18; Bothe et al., 2018) at baseline (t1) and post-intervention (t2) (change in total score)	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Frequency & duration of pornography use per day measured using times per day & minutes per day at pre- and post-intervention EMA phases (change in mean daily values);Frequency & intensity of pornography craving per day measured using visual analogue scales (0-100) at pre- and post-intervention EMA phases (change in mean daily values);Self-perceived pornography addiction measured using single item measurement by Grubbs et al. (2019) on a 7-point Likert-scale (change in total score) at baseline (t1) and post-intervention (t2);Cue reactivity to pornographic stimuli measured using adapted Sexual Incentive Delay Task (Markert et al., 2021) at baseline (t1) and post-intervention (t2) (change in BOLD responses between fMRI sessions);Self-efficacy to control pornography use measured using visual analogue scale (0-100) at pre- and post-intervention EMA phases (change in mean daily values);Self-efficacy to avoid pornography use measured using Pornography-Use Avoidance Self-Efficacy Scale (PASS; Kraus et al., 2017) at baseline (t1) and post-intervention (t2) (change in total score)	—

Measure

Time frame

Frequency & duration of pornography use per day measured using times per day & minutes per day at pre- and post-intervention EMA phases (change in mean daily values);Frequency & intensity of pornography craving per day measured using visual analogue scales (0-100) at pre- and post-intervention EMA phases (change in mean daily values);Self-perceived pornography addiction measured using single item measurement by Grubbs et al. (2019) on a 7-point Likert-scale (change in total score) at baseline (t1) and post-intervention (t2);Cue reactivity to pornographic stimuli measured using adapted Sexual Incentive Delay Task (Markert et al., 2021) at baseline (t1) and post-intervention (t2) (change in BOLD responses between fMRI sessions);Self-efficacy to control pornography use measured using visual analogue scale (0-100) at pre- and post-intervention EMA phases (change in mean daily values);Self-efficacy to avoid pornography use measured using Pornography-Use Avoidance Self-Efficacy Scale (PASS; Kraus et al., 2017) at baseline (t1) and post-intervention (t2) (change in total score)

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactMiriam Kampa

miriam.kampa@psychol.uni-giessen.de+49 641 99 - 26340

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Jul 3, 2026