Perceptions of and stigma toward BDSM practitioners
In plain language, the main point is this: participants expressed higher stigma toward BDSM practitioners than toward the two comparison groups.
Orgasmaphoria editorial perspective
About this source
High-priority Kink / Stigma record. Frame results as evidence from this sample, not a population prevalence estimate.
Why it matters: This source demonstrates that kink is shaped by learnable community practices, negotiation, and wide variation. That helps readers separate consensual BDSM from abuse and replace stereotypes with better questions.
Purpose and scope
Compares stigma directed at BDSM practitioners, gay/lesbian people, and people in romantic relationships.
257 heterosexual, non-BDSM-identifying U.S. adults recruited through Mechanical Turk.
Findings or central themes
Participants expressed higher stigma toward BDSM practitioners than toward the two comparison groups.
Strengths
Pre-registered exclusion criteria and direct comparison conditions.
Limitations
Convenience MTurk sample, modest size, and restricted participant identities limit generalizability; assesses attitudes rather than lived outcomes.
Do not use this source to claim: Do not use this source for diagnosis, individual prediction, universal claims, or advice beyond its stated scope.
Citation and access
Ashley A. Hansen-Brown, Sabrina E. Jefferson (2022). Perceptions of and stigma toward BDSM practitioners. Current Psychology DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03112-z
Open access
External sources may change, move, require payment, or have different privacy practices. This library record is educational context, not medical, legal, or emergency advice.
