International Kink Health Study

NCT05318053 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: T2021-01
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 917
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The study design is an observational, longitudinal study with data collected online via a computer-assisted survey. Subjects will be recruited through non-probability snowball sampling. Objectives:

1. 1.to document the prevalence of injuries and medical complications arising from kink activities
2. 2.to document how healthcare is utilized by kink-involved people
3. 3.to document the health outcomes particular to a large sample of kink-involved people
4. 4.to test whether the centrality of kink identity and degree of community belongingness affect injuries, health outcomes, and healthcare utilization

Conditions

Wounds and Injuries; Mental Health

Keywords

BDSM; Sexual Minority; Kink

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Kink Injury

  self-report of injury or medical complication while engaged in kink activities; type of injury; frequency of injury

  Year 1

• Healthcare Utilization

  self-report of: types of care; frequency of care; patient satisfaction; experiences of discrimination in healthcare interactions

  Year 1

• Health Disparities

  self-report of: mental health issues; suicidality; obesity; sexually transmitted infections; blood-borne pathogens; alcohol/drug use

  Year 1

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Community Belongingness

  Year 1

• Centrality of Kink Identity

  Year 1

• Concealment / Disclosure of Kink Involvement

  Year 1

Study Arms (1)

2022 Cohort

1. Successful completion of screening checklist to indicate one of the following conditions: 1. recurring, long-standing fantasies that focus on kink, in areas such as: power exchange (Dominant/submissive roles), bondage, sadomasochism, or fetish activities. By fetish, we mean a type of sexual desire in which gratification depends on or is significantly increased by particular objects, clothing items, parts of the body, or types of persons. 2. OR currently engaging, or have engaged in the past, in consensual kink activities such as power exchange (Dominant/submissive roles), bondage, sadomasochism, or fetish activities. 2. Age of majority in the legal jurisdiction (geographic location) where the survey is taken (usually age 18) 3. English-language proficiency sufficient to understand the study instruments 4. Completion of an electronically signed and dated informed consent form

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

People involved in kink activities: power exchange (Dominant/submissive roles), bondage, sadomasochism, or fetish activities.

You may qualify if:

• Successful completion of screening checklist to indicate one of the following conditions:
• recurring, long-standing fantasies that focus on kink, in areas such as: power exchange (Dominant/submissive roles), bondage, sadomasochism, or fetish activities. By fetish, we mean a type of sexual desire in which gratification depends on or is significantly increased by particular objects, clothing items, parts of the body, or types of persons.
• OR currently engaging, or have engaged in the past, in consensual kink activities such as power exchange (Dominant/submissive roles), bondage, sadomasochism, or fetish activities.
• Age of majority in the legal jurisdiction (geographic location) where the survey is taken (usually age 18)
• English-language proficiency sufficient to understand the study instruments
• Completion of an electronically signed and dated informed consent form

You may not qualify if:

• People who respond "no" to the following question on the screening checklist
• I am familiar with the importance of consent and I endorse negotiation and safe words or safe signals in my sexual or kink play
• Clearly fraudulent use of the internet survey, such as: evidence of non-human data entry via an internet "bot", duplicative or prank data entry that entails contradictory or clearly fraudulent data.
• Any condition that, in the professional judgement of the Principal Investigator, should exclude an individual from participation in the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance: lead

Study Sites (1)

TASHRA

Rio Vista, California, 94571, United States

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Sprott RA, Randall A, Smith K, Woo L. Rates of Injury and Healthcare Utilization for Kink-Identified Patients. J Sex Med. 2021 Oct;18(10):1721-1734. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.08.001. Epub 2021 Sep 2.

  PMID: 34481743 BACKGROUND

• Waldura JF, Arora I, Randall AM, Farala JP, Sprott RA. Fifty Shades of Stigma: Exploring the Health Care Experiences of Kink-Oriented Patients. J Sex Med. 2016 Dec;13(12):1918-1929. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.09.019. Epub 2016 Oct 27.

  PMID: 28340946 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Study Website

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Wounds and Injuries; Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Study Officials

• Richard A Sprott, PhD

  The Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 15, 2022
• First Posted: April 8, 2022
• Study Start: June 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2024
• Study Completion: March 31, 2024
• Last Updated: February 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)