Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine how positive and negative metacognitions about sex (MSS) mediate the relationship between psychological distress and problematic consumption of pornography. METHOD: 821 individuals from Romania, aged 18-70 (M = 27.21; SD = 8.74), 64.4% of whom were women. RESULTS: Both positive and negative MSS mediated the link between psychological distress and problematic consumption of pornography. CONCLUSION: MSS plays a crucial role in understanding the dynamics between psychological distress and problematic consumption of pornography. The study contributes to filling a gap in the literature by exploring MSS in this context. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.