Written by Lisa Bourne

People who use pornography are more likely to partake in risky sexual behavior and have multiple sex partners, a new study has found.

Researchers from the University of Sydney and Curtin University in Australia analyzed the findings of 17 previous studies on porn use to determine whether there is an association between “sexual risk behaviors” and pornography consumption.

Sexual risk behaviors were identified in the study as casual sex, lack of condom use and a high number of sexual partners, with researchers linking these to “poor health outcomes,” such as increased occurrence of sexually transmitted infections.

The study, published in the online journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, encouraged inclusion of “porn literacy” information in sexual health education and prevention efforts, and called for additional research with more rigorous methods.

“Sexual risk behaviors may have serious consequences for physical and sexual health,” it said. “And the findings of this review highlight the importance of this topic and the need for further research into how pornography use fits into the broader picture of sexual risk behaviors.”

The Australian study joins the lengthy list of reports and anecdotes illustrating the damage caused by pornography.

Another 2011 report showed that porn use makes teen girls five times as likely to have group sex, and a 2010 study found that boys who use pornography regularly are more likely to have sexual relations and harass girls in school.

There has been considerable discussion recently on the possible link between porn and sexual assaults on college campuses and society at large.

Meanwhile, other studies have indicated that porn use contributes to the breakdown of marriages and families, as well as financial and job losses.

This article was originally posted at LifeSiteNews.com