Sexual Fantasies, Sexual Trauma and the Weight of Shame: A Latent Profile Analysis

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adulthood sexual assault (ASA) have been associated with the emergence of violent and shame-filled sexual fantasies in adulthood. Shame related to sexual fantasies may be linked to psychological distress and erotophobia, yet the interplay between fantasy themes, shame, and CSA/ASA remains underexplored. This study used a three-step latent profile analysis on a sample of 1,414 Canadian adults (309 CSA and 423 ASA survivors) to examine profiles of fantasies with associated shame, to compare these according to sociodemographics, victimization experiences, psychological distress and erotophobia. Three profiles emerged: (1) Fantasy-Lite, characterized by few fantasies and low shame; (2) Submission-linked Shame, marked by numerous submissive and victimization fantasies with high shame; (3) Perpetration-linked Shame, defined by dominant and perpetration fantasies coupled with high shame. Gender and sexual orientation were associated with profile membership: women and non-heterosexual participants were more frequent in Submission-linked Shame, while men were predominant in Perpetration-linked Shame. CSA survivors were predominantly in the Perpetration-linked Shame profile, while ASA survivors were more likely to belong to the Submission-linked Shame profile. These two profiles presented significantly higher levels of psychological distress and erotophobia than Fantasy-Lite. Findings highlight distinct fantasy-shame patterns and their relevance for trauma-informed clinical interventions.