Dr Brandon Sparks

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Brandon Sparks
About
Teaching and learning
Research

About

Hello and welcome to my page! I joined Kingston University in 2021 as a Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, and as such, my teaching and research fall under that domain. My main area of interest revolves around sexual offending, with recent works exploring image-based sexual abuse and the use of technology to perpetrate sexual violence. Other interests include attitudes toward offenders, what drives punishment motives, the role of the media in influencing our perceptions of law enforcement, and healthy relationships. My dissertation work focused on the roles that dating applications (such as Tinder) and social isolation play in the lives of incels and how they may impact their well-being. I hope to continue branching out into new avenues of forensic psychology and look forward to the opportunities to work on these with the wonderful staff and students at Kingston University!

For more information about me, please visit www.brandontsparks.com

Academic responsibilities

Lecturer in Forensic Psychology

Qualifications

  • PhD in Psychology, University of Saskatchewan
  • MA in Applied Social Psychology, University of Saskatchewan
  • BA (Hons) in Psychology, St. Thomas University
  • Fellow, Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Teaching and learning

My four core principles to effective teaching:

  • Effective teaching begins by building rapport and community with the students and university
  • Effective teaching incorporates active learning strategies and encourages student growth
  • Effective teaching uses diverse assessments to measure learning and student progress
  • Effective teaching hinges on the continuous growth and reflection of the teacher

Undergraduate courses taught

Postgraduate courses taught

Research

Selected Publications:

  • Sparks, B., & Zidenberg, A. M. (in press). Accepting the terms and conditions: An evaluation of a parole-based experiential assignment. Journal of Criminal Justice Education.
  • Sparks, B., & Papandreou, C. (2023). The manosphere and men's wellbeing: How healthcare can help young men find alternatives to toxic online spaces. BMJ, 383.
  • Sparks, B., Stephens, S., & Trendell, S. (2023). Image-based sexual abuse: Victim-perpetrator overlap and risk-related correlates of coerced sexting, non-consensual dissemination of intimate images, and cyberflashing. Computers in Human Behaviour.
  • Sparks, B., Zidenberg, A. M., & Olver, M. E. (2023). An exploratory study of incels' dating app experiences, mental health, and relational well-being. Journal of Sex Research.
  • Sparks, B., Fido, D., & Vione, K. (2023). Bad parents? Evaluating judgments of infant homicides. Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law.
  • Sparks, B., Zidenberg, A. M., & Olver, M. E. (2023).  One is the loneliest number: Involuntary celibacy, mental health, and loneliness. Current Psychology.
  • Sparks, B., Zidenberg, A. M., & Olver, M. E. (2023). Involuntary celibacy: A review of incel ideology and experiences with dating, rejection, and associated mental health and emotional sequelae. Current Psychiatry Reports, 24, 731-740.
  • Sparks, B. (2022). A snapshot of image based sexual abuse (IBSA): Narrating a way forward. Sexuality Research & Social Policy, 19(2), 689-704.
  • Sparks, B. (2021). Attitudes toward the punishment of juvenile and adult sexual offenders in Canada: The roles of sentencing goals and criminal justice motivations. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 30(2), 125-145.
  • Sparks, B., Wielinga, F., Jung, S., & Olver, M. (2020). Recidivism risk and criminogenic needs of individuals who perpetrated intimate partner sexual violence offenses. Sexual Offending: Theory, Research, and Prevention, 15(1), e3713.
  • Sparks, B., & Wormith, S. (2020). Assessing attitudes toward juveniles and adults adjudicated for sexual offenses in Canada: Does offender age matter? Journal of Sexual Aggression, 27(1), 81-94.

Publications

Jump to: Article
Number of items: 14.

Article

Sparks, Brandon and Zidenberg, Alexandra (2024) Accepting the terms and conditions : an evaluation of a parole-based experiential assignment. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, ISSN (print) 1051-1253

Sparks, Brandon and Papandreou, Chloe (2023) The manosphere and men’s wellbeing : how healthcare can help young men find alternatives to toxic online spaces. British Medical Journal (BMJ), 383, p. 2947. ISSN (print) 0959-8138

Sparks, Brandon, Stephens, Skye and Trendell, Sydney (2023) Image-based sexual abuse : victim-perpetrator overlap and risk-related correlates of coerced sexting, non-consensual dissemination of intimate images, and cyberflashing. Computers in Human Behavior, 148, ISSN (print) 0747-5632 (Epub Ahead of Print)

Sparks, Brandon, Zidenberg, Alexandra M. and Olver, Mark E. (2023) One is the loneliest number : involuntary celibacy (incel), mental health, and loneliness. Current Psychology, ISSN (print) 1046-1310 (Epub Ahead of Print)

Sparks, Brandon, Vione, Katia and Fido, Dean (2023) Bad parents? Evaluating judgements of infant homicides. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, ISSN (print) 1321-8719 (Epub Ahead of Print)

Sparks, Brandon, Zidenberg, Alexandra M. and Olver, Mark E. (2022) Involuntary celibacy : a review of incel ideology and experiences with dating, rejection, and associated mental health and emotional sequelae. Current Psychiatry Reports, ISSN (print) 1523-3812 (Epub Ahead of Print)

Zidenberg, Alexandra M., Sparks, Brandon and Olver, Mark (2022) A survey of veterinary medical professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, and experiences with animal sexual abuse. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, ISSN (print) 1088-8705 (Epub Ahead of Print)

Sparks, Brandon (2022) A snapshot of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) : narrating a way forward. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 19(2), pp. 689-704. ISSN (print) 1868-9884

Zidenberg, Alexandra M., Wielinga, Farron, Sparks, Brandon, Margeotes, Krystyn and Harkins, Leigh (2022) Lost in translation : a quantitative and qualitative comparison of rape myth acceptance. Psychology, Crime & Law, 28(2), pp. 179-197. ISSN (print) 1068-316X

Zidenberg, Alexandra M., Sparks, Brandon, Harkins, Leigh and Lidstone, Sara K. (2021) Tipping the scales : effects of gender, rape myth acceptance, and anti-fat attitudes on judgments of sexual coercion scenarios. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(19-20), NP10178-NP10204. ISSN (print) 0886-2605

Kiss, Mark, McDonagh, Lorraine, Sparks, Brandon, Hamp, Thomas and Morrison, Todd G. (2021) Accurately assessing gay men’s erectile functioning : a critique of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) use with gay men. Journal of Sex Research, 58(5), pp. 589-598. ISSN (print) 0022-4499

Sparks, Brandon and Wormith, J. Stephen (2021) Assessing attitudes toward juveniles and adults adjudicated for sexual offenses in Canada : does offender age matter? Journal of Sexual Aggression, 27(1), pp. 81-94. ISSN (print) 1355-2600

Sparks, Brandon (2021) Attitudes toward the punishment of juvenile and adult sexual offenders in Canada : the roles of sentencing goals and criminal justice motivations. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 30(2), pp. 125-145. ISSN (print) 1053-8712

Sparks, Brandon, Wielinga, Farron, Jung, Sandy and Olver, Mark E. (2020) Recidivism risk and criminogenic needs of individuals who perpetrated intimate partner sexual violence offenses. Sexual Offending : Theory, Research and Prevention, 15, pp. 1-20. ISSN (online) 2699-8440

This list was generated on Tue Jul 2 07:07:57 2024 BST.