scholarly journals Troubled Desire – An Internet-based Self-management Tool for Individuals with Pedophilic and Hebephilic Sexual Interest (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Schuler ◽  
Hannes Gieseler ◽  
Katharina Schweder ◽  
Maximilian von Heyden ◽  
Klaus M. Beier
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Interest ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Preventive Interventions ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
High Prevalence

BACKGROUND Despite the high prevalence of child sexual abuse and the increasing amount of available child sexual abuse material, there is a global shortage of preventive interventions focusing on individuals at risk of sexual offending. OBJECTIVE Troubled Desire aims to address this shortage by offering self-assessment and self-management training modules for individuals who feel sexually attracted to prepubescent and early pubescent children (ie, pedophilic and hebephilic sexual interest) in seven different language versions. METHODS The present study analyzed characteristics of users within the first 30 months (25.10.2017-25.04.2020). RESULTS The self-assessment was completed by 4161 users from all over the world. The majority (78.9%, n=3281) reported pedophilic and/or hebephilic sexual interest. Of those with pedophilic and/or hebephilic sexual interest, 72.8% (n=2390) have used child sexual abuse material and 41.5% (n=1363) indicated they had sexually abused a child or children. The vast majority of offenses were committed within the “Dunkelfeld” (ie, not known to legal authorities). CONCLUSIONS These results illustrate the need for expansion and establishment of global preventive interventions for pedophilic and hebephilic individuals.

scholarly journals Risk Factors for Sexual Offending in Self-Referred Men With Pedophilic Disorder: A Swedish Case-Control Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Wittström ◽  
Niklas Långström ◽  
Valdemar Landgren ◽  
Christoffer Rahm
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Dynamic Risk ◽  
Clinical Control ◽  
Abuse Risk ◽  
Pedophilic Disorder

BackgroundThe risk of child sexual abuse among non-forensic, non-correctional patients with Pedophilic Disorder (PD) is largely unknown.MethodsWe recruited a consecutive sample of 55 help-seeking, non-correctional adult men diagnosed with DSM-5 PD at a university-affiliated sexual medicine outpatient unit in Sweden. PD participants were compared with 57 age-matched, non-clinical control men on four literature-based dynamic risk domains and self-rated child sexual abuse risk.ResultsPD participants scored higher than controls on all tested domains (0–3 points); expectedly so for pedophilic attraction (2.5 vs. 0.0, Cohen’s d = 2.40, 95% confidence interval (CI): [1.91–2.89]), but also for sexual preoccupation (1.6 vs. 1.0, d = 1.11, 95% CI: [0.71–1.51]), impaired self-regulation (1.4 vs. 1.0, d = 0.44, 95% CI: [0.06 to 0.81]), impaired cognitive empathy and antisocial traits (0.9 vs. 0.1, d = 1.18, 95% CI: [0.78–1.59]), and self-rated child sexual abuse risk (1.0 vs. 0.0, d = 1.56, 95% CI: [1.13–1.98]). When summarizing all five domains into a pre-specified composite score (0–15 points), PD subjects scored substantially higher than matched control men (7.5 vs. 2.1, d = 2.12, 95% CI: [1.65–2.59]). Five (9%) PD participants self-reported any previous conviction for a contact child sexual offense and eight (15%) for possession of child sexual abuse material or non-contact sexual offending (adult or child victim). Eighteen subjects (34%) acknowledged past week, child-related sexual behaviors.ConclusionSelf-referred, help-seeking men with PD scored higher (small to very large effect sizes) than non-clinical control men on psychiatric measures of dynamic risk of child sexual abuse suggested in prior research with correctional samples diagnosed with PD. Our findings, including the composite risk measure, might inform clinical practice, but needs validation against actual sexual offending behavior.

Child Sexual Abuse as a Unique Risk Factor for the Development of Psychopathology: The Compounded Convergence of Mechanisms

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennie G. Noll
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Access To Treatment

Meta-analytic, population cohort, prospective, and clinical studies provide systematic evidence that child sexual abuse accounts for unique variation in several deleterious outcomes. There is strong evidence for psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder and mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, and mixed evidence for personality disorders. Evaluation of sex-specific outcomes shows strong evidence for teenage childbearing, sexual revictimization, and sexual dysfunction and mixed evidence for heightened sexual behaviors and sexual offending. This review further demonstrates not only that survivors suffer the noxious impact of traumatic sexualization but that additional transdiagnostic mechanisms, including the biological embedding of stress, emotion dysregulation, avoidance, and insecure attachment, converge to compound risk for deleterious outcomes. A road map to enhance the rigor of future research is outlined, and specific recommendations for evidence-based policy making to boost prevention efforts and increase access to treatment are discussed. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, Volume 17 is May 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

scholarly journals Applying desistance principles to improve wellbeing and prevent child sexual abuse among minor-attracted persons

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Lievesley ◽  
Craig A. Harper
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
Integrative Theory ◽  
Seeking Help

The prevention of sexual abuse among people with sexual attractions to minors is a field of study that is growing in both size and importance. While there is an increasing amount of research into this topic, particularly in relation to the stigmatisation of minor-attracted persons (MAPs) and the barriers to them seeking help, there is currently no theoretical framework within which to consider this prevention landscape. In this paper, we suggest that an extension of Göbbels, Ward, and Willis’ (2012) integrative theory of desistance from sexual offending could fill this gap in the literature. We explore what the aims of ‘prevention’ initiatives could, or perhaps should, be, before exploring how an extension and adaptation of the desistance framework could provide a framework for working with MAPs in their journey for sound mental health and, ultimately, the prevention of sexual offending.

scholarly journals Adult-as-schoolgirl sexual fantasies: Investigating their relationship with sexual interest in children within a male sample

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Henek ◽  
Ross M. Bartels
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Interest ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Sexual Fantasies ◽  
Causal Direction ◽  
School Uniform ◽  
Act Up ◽  
The Impact

Theory and research indicates that sexual fantasies about children are associated with child sexual abuse and the proclivity to engage in child sexual abuse. The present study aimed to add to the literature by examining whether sexual fantasies depicting an adult partner dressed in school uniform are related to a self-reported sexual interest/proclivity towards child sexual abuse. We also investigated whether Adult-as-Schoolgirl sexual fantasies are related to other factors underlying the reason for finding children sexually appealing (e.g. lower self-esteem, the need for sexual dominance, and innocence-related fantasies). The measures assessing each variable were completed in randomized order by 87 community males recruited online (after data cleaning). The results showed significant correlations between Adult-as-Schoolgirl sexual fantasies and the interest in/proclivity to sexually offend against children, as well as sexual fantasies about innocence in general. A direct multiple regression revealed that these two variables statistically predicted Adult-as-Schoolgirl sexual fantasy scores. The present study provides the first indication that Adult-as-Schoolgirl fantasies are linked to the self-reported interest and proclivity in sexually abusing children. Given the correlational nature of these findings, the causal direction cannot be determined. Moreover, the results do not indicate that people with Adult-as-Schoolgirl fantasies will act up these fantasies with a real child. Nevertheless, the findings suggest the need to address the sexualization of schoolgirl uniforms in popular media. Future research should aim to uncover the impact that Adult-as-Schoolgirl sexual fantasies have on actual behavior.

The Stigma of Pedophilia

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Jahnke
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Social Level

Abstract. There is an emerging consensus among researchers that having pedophilic interests is not synonymous with child sexual abuse or other amoral behavior. Nevertheless, misconceptions about pedophilia are highly prevalent among the general public and mental health practitioners. This article provides an overview of recent findings on the stigma of pedophilia and derives guidelines for mental health practitioners based on these results. We argue that stigmatization of people with pedophilic sexual interests has undesired indirect effects on risk factors for child sexual abuse, particularly on an emotional and social level. Also, fear of being rejected or treated unethically may prevent pedophilic individuals at risk for sexual offending from confiding in medical practitioners or psychotherapists. Psychologists working with pedophilic individuals in forensic or clinical settings should be aware that stigmatizing people with pedophilia may increase their risk of sexual offending, and provide help to deal with potential stigma-related repercussions.

Persistent Sexual Abusers in the Catholic Church

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 629-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Calkins Mercado ◽  
Jennifer A. Tallon ◽  
Karen J. Terry
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Offending Patterns ◽  
Low Rate ◽  
The Catholic Church

This study aims to enhance understanding of clergy offending patterns through a comparison of low-rate and high-rate clergy offenders. Data for these re-analyses are derived from 3,674 cases from the Nature and Scope of Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church. This article compares those clerics who had just one allegation with those who had a moderate (2 to 3), high (4 to 9), or exceptionally high (10-plus) number of allegations of sexual abuse. Findings reveal that the 3.7% ( n =137) who had 10 or more victims accounted for a disproportionate 24.8% of the abuse. Priests with the most victims began perpetrating offenses at an earlier age and were more likely to have male victims than those who abused fewer victims. The importance of research addressing the causes and situational correlates of sexual offending by priests, as well as the need for more refined management strategies, are discussed.

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