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“Comforting, Reassuring, and…Hot”: A Qualitative Exploration of Engaging in Bondage, Discipline, Domination, Submission, Sadism and (Sado)masochism and Kink from the Perspective of Autistic Adults

Pearson, Amy and Hodgetts, Sophie (2023) “Comforting, Reassuring, and…Hot”: A Qualitative Exploration of Engaging in Bondage, Discipline, Domination, Submission, Sadism and (Sado)masochism and Kink from the Perspective of Autistic Adults. Autism in Adulthood. ISSN 2573-9581

Item Type: Article

Abstract

Background: There is a lack of research on autistic intimacy; however, a small body of research suggests that bondage, discipline, domination, submission, sadism and (sado)masochism (BDSM)/kink may be appealing to autistic people. We aimed at exploring how engagement in BDSM/kink related to autistic identity, using a phenomenological approach.

Methods: We recruited six autistic adults through purposive sampling on social media. All participants took part in a one-to-one spoken interview about their engagement in BDSM/kink and how it related to their sense of identity.

Results: We used interpretative phenomenological analysis to analyze the data and found three key themes. Theme 1, “Practicing safe ‘sex’” highlighted how the clear communication and explicit focus on consent present in BDSM/kink facilitated a feeling of safety. Theme 2, “So many ways to touch and be touched” was focused on the sensory draw of BDSM/kink, and how it provided exciting ways to explore sensory joy (and sometimes revulsion). Theme 3, “Subverting (neuro)normativity” showed how autistic people can find pleasure in intimate practices that transgress normative expectations.

Conclusion: Our findings highlighted the importance of exploring the perceptions of autistic adults in relation to their own intimate practices. Autistic intimacy is an emerging area of research, with very little focus on lived experience. Although engagement in BDSM/kink may appear niche, our findings suggest that there are aspects which are inherently appealing to autistic people. These findings can be used to destigmatize both autistic intimacy and engagement in alternative intimate practices more broadly.

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More Information

Additional Information: This is the accepted version of the following article: “Comforting, Reassuring, and…Hot”: A Qualitative Exploration of Engaging in Bondage, Discipline, Domination, Submission, Sadism and (Sado)masochism and Kink from the Perspective of Autistic Adults, Amy Pearson and Sophie Hodgetts, Autism in Adulthood 2024 6:1, 25-35 , which has now been formally published in final form at Autism in Adulthood at http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0103. This original submission version of the article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers’ self-archiving terms and conditions.
Uncontrolled Keywords: autism, BDSM, kink, intimacy, neuroqueer
Depositing User: Amy Pearson

Identifiers

Item ID: 15924
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0103
ISSN: 2573-9581
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/15924
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0103

Users with ORCIDS

ORCID for Amy Pearson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7089-6103

Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 05 May 2023 11:26
Last Modified: 25 Jul 2024 14:28

Contributors

Author: Amy Pearson ORCID iD
Author: Sophie Hodgetts

University Divisions

Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing > School of Psychology

Subjects

Psychology > Psychology
Psychology

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