Dr Liam Wignall - Bournemouth University Staff Profile Pages

Biography
Research

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Psychology in the Faculty of Science and Technology. Before joining BU in March 2018 as a Lecturer, I completed a PhD on non-heterosexual men's kink sexual practices at the University of Sunderland. I am member of the International Academy of Sex Researchers, the Centre for Positive Sexuality, the BPS Sexualities committee, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I am editor for the BPS Sexualities' journal "Psychology of Sexualities Review" and associate editor for "Psychology & Sexuality" and "Journal of Positive Sexuality".

Research

I specialise in qualitative research, exploring the experiences of non-heterosexual individuals, using theories from psychology, sociology and cultural studies. My work focuses on the impact of the internet and the role of community participation for these individuals. I am currently developing a monograph looking at the experiences of non-heterosexual men who engage in kinky sexual practices with Oxford University Press.

I have conducted research into the kink activity of pup play, framing the socio-sexual activity as a form of leisure and documenting how the pup community have adopted social networking sites to form online communities. I have also published on the experiences of bisexual individuals and people with non-exclusive sexualities.

Journal Articles

Journal Articles

Wignall, L., McCormack, M., Cook, T. and Jaspal, R., 2022. Findings From a Community Survey of Individuals Who Engage in Pup Play. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51 (7), 3637-3646.
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McCormack, M., Measham, F., Measham, M. and Wignall, L., 2022. Kink in an English Field: The Drinking, Drug use and Sexual Practices of English Festival-Goers Who Engage in Kink. Sexuality and Culture, 26 (5), 1750-1765.
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Turner-Cobb, J.M., Arden-Close, E., Portch, E. and Wignall, L., 2022. Men and Women as Differential Social Barometers: Gender Effects of Perceived Friend Support on the Neuroticism-Loneliness-Well-Being Relationship in a Younger Adult Population. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (13).
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Stirling, J.L., Hills, P.J. and Wignall, L., 2022. Narrative approach to understand people’s comprehension of acquaintance rape: The role of Sex Role Stereotyping. Psychology and Sexuality, 13 (2), 129-146.
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Cascalheira, C.J., Thomson, A. and Wignall, L., 2022. ‘A certain evolution’: a phenomenological study of 24/7 BDSM and negotiating consent. Psychology and Sexuality, 13 (3), 628-639.
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Cascalheira, C.J., McCormack, M., Portch, E. and Wignall, L., 2021. Changes in Sexual Fantasy and Solitary Sexual Practice During Social Lockdown Among Young Adults in the UK. Sexual Medicine, 9 (3).
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Fino, E., Jaspal, R., Lopes, B., Wignall, L. and Bloxsom, C., 2021. The Sexual Risk Behaviors Scale (SRBS): Development & Validation in a University Student Sample in the UK. Evaluation and the Health Professions, 44 (2), 152-160.
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McCormack, M., Measham, F. and Wignall, L., 2021. The Normalization of Leisure Sex and Recreational Drugs: Exploring Associations Between Polydrug Use and Sexual Practices by English Festival-Goers. Contemporary Drug Problems, 48 (2), 185-200.
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Jaspal, R., Lopes, B., Wignall, L. and Bloxsom, C., 2021. Predicting Sexual Risk Behavior in British and European Union University Students in the United Kingdom. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 16 (1), 140-159.
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McCormack, M. and Wignall, L., 2021. Drag Performers’ Perspectives on the Mainstreaming of British Drag: Towards a Sociology of Contemporary Drag. Sociology.
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Wignall, L., Portch, E., McCormack, M., Owens, R., Cascalheira, C.J., Attard-Johnson, J. and Cole, T., 2021. Changes in Sexual Desire and Behaviors among UK Young Adults During Social Lockdown Due to COVID-19. Journal of Sex Research, 58 (8), 976-985.
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Wignall, L. and Driscoll, H., 2020. Women's rationales and perspectives on "mostly" as a nonexclusive sexual identity label. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 7 (3), 366-337.
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Wignall, L., 2020. Beyond safe, sane, and consensual: Navigating risk and consent online for kinky gay and bisexual men. Journal of Positive Sexuality.
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Wignall, L., Scoats, R., Anderson, E. and Morales, L., 2020. A qualitative study of heterosexual men’s attitudes toward and practices of receiving anal stimulation. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 22 (6), 675-689.
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Jaspal, R., Lopes, B. and Wignall, L., 2020. The Coping with Identity Threat Scale: Development and Validation in a University Student Sample. Identity, 20 (4), 225-238.
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Wignall, L., Stirling, J. and Scoats, R., 2020. UK university students’ perceptions and negotiations of sexual consent. Psychology and Sexuality.
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Wignall, L., 2019. Pornography Use by Kinky Gay Men – A Qualitative Approach. Journal of Positive Sexuality.
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McCormack, M. and Wignall, L., 2017. Enjoyment, Exploration and Education: Understanding the Consumption of Pornography among Young Men with Non-Exclusive Sexual Orientations. Sociology, 51 (5), 975-991.
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Wignall, L., 2017. The Sexual Use of a Social Networking Site: The Case of Pup Twitter. SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH ONLINE, 22 (3), 21-37.
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Wignall, L. and McCormack, M., 2017. An Exploratory Study of a New Kink Activity: "Pup Play". Arch Sex Behav, 46 (3), 801-811.
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McCormack, M., Wignall, L. and Morris, M., 2016. Gay guys using gay language: friendship, shared values and the intent-context-effect matrix. Br J Sociol, 67 (4), 747-767.
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Wignall, L., 2016. Playing on the Edge: Sadomasochism, Risk, and Intimacy. SEXUALITIES, 19 (1-2), 257-259.
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McCormack, M., Wignall, L. and Anderson, E., 2015. Identities and Identifications: Changes in Metropolitan Bisexual Men's Attitudes and Experiences. JOURNAL OF BISEXUALITY, 15 (1), 3-20.
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PhD Students

Robin Jakumeit. BDSM Experiences

Profile of Teaching PG

Advanced Research Methods

Profile of Teaching UG

Experimental Methods and Statistical Analysis (EMSA 1b)
Psychology of Sexualities
Psychology of Social Media and Video Games
Psychology Project
Counselling Psychology
Forensic Psychology

Grants

Grants

An International Study of Pup Play Communities (ACORN, 01 Mar 2022). Completed
Understanding the Experiences of Women with Non-Exclusive Sexualities (American Institute of Bisexuality, 01 Oct 2017). Awarded

Journal Reviewing/Refereeing

Journal Reviewing/Refereeing

Psychology and Sexuality, Anonymous peer review, 29 May 2018
Culture, Health & Sexuality, Anonymous peer review, 24 Feb 2018
Qualitative Sociology, Anonymous peer review, 30 Jun 2017
Journal of Bisexuality, Anonymous peer review, 02 Apr 2017
Sexualities: Studies in Culture and Society, Anonymous peer review, 31 Jan 2017

Qualifications
Memberships

Qualifications

PhD in Media and Cultural Studies (University of Sunderland, 2018)
BSc (Hons) in Psychology (University of Sunderland, 2014)

Memberships

Centre for Positive Sexuality, Research Affiliate (2019-), http://positivesexuality.org/
Psychology of Sexualities, Committee Member (2019-), https://www.bps.org.uk/member-microsites/psychology-sexualities-section
International Academy of Sex Researchers, Member (2017-2018),