The impact of a Transtheoretical Model-based intervention on symptoms of depression with the mediator of attitude to pornography in homosexual men: A pilot study

Background: Transtheoretical Model (TTM) is a new approach to the treatment of addiction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of TTM in reducing depression by a pornography mediator variable. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study with pretest and posttest, 72 homosexual males with methamphetamine dependents in Tehran from were recruited from 15 December 2014 to 20 November 2015 during a seasonal meeting. They were selected by snowball method from among those who obtained the highest scores in the index of pornography (response rate=94%). They were subsequently assigned into experimental (3 levels) and control (3 levels) groups based on the three levels of pornography, i.e., low, moderate and high. The TTM-based intervention was presented to the experimental groups for 12 weeks, and the control groups were placed on the waiting list. The data were collected via a researcher-made demographics form, Beck’s Depression Inventory, and the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale. The data were analyzed using Two-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe s post-hoc test in the IBM SPSS Software Version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: The TTM-based intervention had a significant impact on the two depressive groups who had moderate (p 0.05) and low (p 0.01) pornography use, but it had no significant effect on high-pornography index (p 0.05). Also, Chi-square test showed that only groups with lower pornography indices had a significant difference in the stages of change. Conclusions: While having applicability in this area, the findings of this study can be helpful in planning supplementary remedial procedures and can help practitioners for better interventions in order to fulfill the needs of individuals with depression.