Sadomasochistic sexual fantasies associated with risk for adverse psychiatric outcomes

Sadomasochistic sexual fantasies appeared linked to increased risk for adverse psychiatric outcomes, according to study results published in Psychiatric Annals.

“Evidence regarding the impact of sadomasochistic fantasies on broader psychosocial functioning has been limited and equivocal in the findings,” Victoria Pocknell, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at Hartgrove Behavioral Hospital in Chicago, and Alan R. King, PhD, professor in the department of psychology at University of North Dakota, wrote. “Sadomasochistic desires may pose special limitations on relationship development and maintenance success, and correlates between sadistic personality traits and sexual aggression have been established. Other studies, however, have found evidence of psychosocial adjustment among members of the general population who acknowledge recurrent sadomasochistic sexual fantasies.”

In the current study, Pocknell and King sought to analyze links between prominent domination or humiliation fantasies and developmental antecedents, sexual impairment and distress, maladaptive personality functioning and relatively increased rates of personality dysfunction among individuals with significant levels of sexual distress. They categorized participants according to fantasies that recurred over 80% of the time that related to “asserting dominance over someone” or “being humiliated or made to suffer” by a sexual partner. Further, they compared outcomes of 97 individuals with domination fantasies and 37 individuals with humiliation fantasies with those of 649 individuals who reported never fantasizing about either sexual role.

Results showed an association between domination and humiliation fantasy contents and hypersexuality, maladaptive personality traits (i.e., psychoticism, antagonistic, disinhibited) and increased risk for sexual addiction. Women in the humiliation group reported higher rates of childhood sexual abuse victimization.

“These results contribute to an equivocal evidentiary base regarding the extent and impact of sadomasochistic sexual fantasizing in the general public,” Pocknell and King wrote.