Is there a link between BDSM and mental health? In literature and film, one often comes across clichés associating the practice of BDSM with a form of psychosis. Dominant partners are often described as dangerous, manipulative and violent beings, while submissive partners are cast in the role of weak creatures, plagued by sexual difficulties, or struggling to recover from a past sexual trauma.
While it helped popularise BDSM, the Fifty Shades of Grey saga, which tells of the abusive relationship between a shy virgin and a control-freak billionaire, did nothing to clear up the misconceptions. More recently, the film 365 DNI also hammered home the handcuff kitsch. But if one hopes to find some respite in classic literature, one cannot really say that the characters described by Sade or Sacher-Masoch are very psychologically stable.
The vocabulary is, moreover, ambiguous: for example, the term “sadism” can refer either to a morbid cruelty or to a simple taste for certain practices between consenting adults.
But what is the reality? Is BDSM truly a release valve reserved for tormented souls? Several studies have looked into the question.
The demographics of BDSM
Between 2001 and 2002, a survey was conducted by telephone, on a sample of 19,307 Australians aged 16 to 59.
Among sexually active participants, 1.8% reported having engaged in BDSM activities in the previous year. The practice concerns 1.3% of women and 2.2% of men, with higher figures among homosexual or bisexual people.
The study does indeed highlight some significant differences. In fact, BDSM practitioners are more likely to have:
- practised oral or anal sex, anulingus, or anal stimulation with fingers or the hand,
- had multiple partners in the previous year,
- had sex with someone other than their usual partner,
- had a sexual encounter by phone,
- visited an adult website or watched a porn film,
- used a sex toy,
- taken part in an orgy.
In short, as you’ve probably gathered, BDSM enthusiasts are, generally speaking, a bit naughty – or at least more so than the average person.
But, in comparison with non-practitioners, the study highlights no particular psychological issues among fans of ropes and whips. The occurrence of sexual trauma is no higher, and they are no more prone to unhappiness or anxiety.
More surprisingly, the study appears to highlight a positive link between BDSM and mental health. In fact, among the men surveyed, those who practise BDSM are overall more psychologically stable than those who do not.
The researchers conclude that BDSM is simply an attractive sexual or cultural interest for a minority, and does not, for most practitioners, stem from a pathological symptom linked to trauma or difficulties with “vanilla” sex.
BDSM and mental health
Another study from 2013, looking into the psychological characteristics of BDSM practitioners, also breaks the cliché of the tormented character fond of spankings.
903 BDSM practitioners, and 434 non-practitioners serving as a control sample, completed an online questionnaire attempting to determine various traits of their personality. The questions cover:
- the Big Five model, assessing five personality traits considered central: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism,
- attachment styles: secure, preoccupied, detached, or fearful-avoidant,
- rejection sensitivity,
- subjective well-being, based on the WHO well-being index.
It would appear that there is indeed a link between BDSM and mental health… but not the one that fans of Ana Grey might expect.
In fact, the results show generally more positive psychological characteristics among people who practise BDSM than in the control group. BDSM practitioners are, on average, less neurotic, more extroverted, more conscientious, less sensitive to rejection, more open to new experiences, and report greater well-being than non-practitioners. They are, however, less agreeable.
Overall, dominant partners score better than submissive partners, and non-BDSM individuals have the worst results.
Once again, the study concludes that BDSM is a recreational hobby, and not the symptom of a psychosis.
BDSM, a hobby?
In 2016, a new study therefore attempts to verify this hypothesis by assessing whether BDSM truly has all the characteristics of a recreational hobby. When it comes to analysing its motivations and practices, can one use the same framework as for rock climbing, philately or badminton?
935 BDSM practitioners answered an online questionnaire about how they perceive and practise this activity.
The majority of participants stated that BDSM was associated for them with:
- pleasure or fun (98.5%) and positive emotions (96.6%),
- relaxation or a reduction in stress (91.4%),
- the development of individual skills (90.8%),
- a sense of adventure (90.7%) and freedom (89.7%),
- self-expression or personal exploration (90.6%).
BDSM appears to play the role of a hobby for its practitioners, generally a rather serious one, although this perception varies depending on practices and identities.
The study therefore confirms the two previous ones, concluding that researchers and medical professionals can indeed interpret BDSM as a hobby.
Conclusion
No, BDSM practitioners are not more unstable than the average person. And if there is a link between BDSM and mental health, it would rather be positive.
Of course, one should not draw too hasty conclusions from this. In BDSM, as elsewhere, one can encounter vulnerable people, and ill-intentioned people who seek to take advantage.
Remember that BDSM requires, above all, a situation of trust, communication and respect for consent. All the more so as certain practices can prove dangerous if one does not take enough precautions, or if one does not master what one is doing! It’s a bit like paragliding, more or less. Listen to your intuition, and if an act or a partner does not make you completely comfortable, do not go ahead with it.
