The Short Version of the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS-6): A Reliable and Valid Measure in General and Treatment-Seeking Populations

To date, no short scale existed that could assess problematic pornography use (PPU) having a solid theoretical background and strong psychometric properties. Having such a short scale may be advantageous when scarce resources are available and/or when respondents' attention spans are limited. The aim of the present investigation was to develop a short scale that can be utilized to screen for PPU. The Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS-18) was used as a basis for the development of a short measure of PPU (PPCS-6). A community sample (N-1 = 15,051), a sample of pornography site visitors (N-2 = 760), and a sample of treatment-seeking individuals (N-3 = 266) were recruited to investigate the reliability and validity of the PPCS-6. Also, its association was tested to theoretically-relevant correlates (e.g., hypersexuality, frequency of masturbation), and a cutoff score was determined. The PPCS-6 yielded strong psychometric properties in terms of factor structure, measurement invariance, reliability, correlated reasonably with the assessed variables, and an optimal cutoff was identified that could reliably distinguish between PPU and non-problematic pornography use. PPCS-6 can be considered as a short, reliable, and valid scale to assess PPU in studies when the length of a questionnaire is essential or when a brief screening for PPU is necessary.