A Minority Stress Perspective in Five Paraphilic Interest Groups

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Sociology

Background:

• Paraphilic sexual interests are often stigmatized, yet minority stress processes remain under-researched in these populations.
• Understanding the psychological impact of stigma on individuals with paraphilic interests is crucial for mental health support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate minority stress (outness, prejudice events, self-stigma, concealment) and its association with mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, autism traits) in diverse paraphilic groups.
• To examine the prevalence of clinical-range autism traits within these groups.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 470 UK participants across five paraphilic groups (BDSM, pet play, age play, furry, balloon fetishism) with overlapping memberships.
• Utilized hierarchical regression models to predict mental health outcomes based on demographic factors, outness, prejudice events, acceptance concerns, and self-stigma.
• Assessed self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and autism traits.

Main Results:

• Self-stigma and prejudice events were the strongest predictors of psychological distress.
• Concealment behaviors were highly prevalent (71.6%), alongside suppression (50.1%) and disavowal (37.8%) efforts.
• While average depression and anxiety were below clinical thresholds, 15-30% per group met clinical cutoffs; autism traits ranged from 14.6% to 45.3% across groups.

Conclusions:

• Minority stress constructs can be extended to individuals with stigmatized paraphilic interests.
• Structural and interpersonal marginalization significantly impact mental health in these populations.
• Future research should employ longitudinal and biologically informed methods to explore causal mechanisms.