“I Despise Myself for Thinking about Them.” A Thematic Analysis of the Mental Health Implications and Employed Coping Mechanisms of Self-Reported Non-Offending Minor Attracted Persons

Stevens, Eleanor; Wood, Jane L.

doi:10.1080/10538712.2019.1657539

Cited by 39 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Levenson & Grady, 2019), with its suppression being linked to negative mental health outcomes (Lievesley et al, 2020). In an analysis of posts from the Virtuous Pedophiles forum, Stevens and Wood (2019) reported how coping strategies for MAPs fell into four categories:…”

Section: Initial Momentum and The Decision To Seek Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This approach may thus form an important aspect of the treatment process within the prevention context. It may be particularly important to do this in relation to helping MAPs use known coping strategies, such as via managing emotions via healthy living and self-acceptance, facilitating the legal expression of sexuality, and forming close peer and family relationships (Stevens & Wood, 2019). Having identified these themes as being potentially important drivers of a decision to seek help, these then have implications for determining treatment goals in therapeutic contexts.…”

Section: Initial Momentum and The Decision To Seek Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Lievesley

Harper

2021

Journal of Sexual Aggression

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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.

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Section: Initial Momentum and The Decision To Seek Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Initial Momentum and The Decision To Seek Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Lievesley

Harper

2021

Journal of Sexual Aggression

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“…The most common topic of study in this regard is the experience of stigma. The effects of stigma appear to include depression, anxiety, and substance misuse conditions (e.g., Cohen et al, 2018;Elchuk et al, 2021;Raymond et al, 1999;Schaefer et al, 2010), social isolation (Elchuk et al, 2021;Jahnke et al, 2015b), and the internalization of stigma and selfloathing (Lievesley et al, 2020;McPhail & Stephens, 2020;Stevens & Wood, 2019).…”

Section: What Do We Know About Map Experiences?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“We do exist”: The Experiences of Women Living with a Sexual Interest in Minors

Lievesley¹,

Lapworth²

2021

Preprint

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The current body of literature studying minor-attracted persons (MAPs) predominantly focuses on the experiences of men who experience sexual attractions to children. To shed more light on the experiences of women within this population, we conducted anonymous semi-structured interviews with six self-identified female MAPs, who were recruited through online support forums for individuals with sexual attractions to children. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the interview transcripts. Two superordinate themes were elicited from the dataset that identified themes of social isolation and the effects of this on identity (“A lonely secret existence”) and the uniqueness of the experience of being a woman within the MAP community (“A minority within a minority”). The findings reported here highlight how the experiences of female MAPs both converge with and diverge from their male counterparts in important ways. We discuss the implications of these experiences in relation to more effective service provision for female MAPs.

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“…There is a growing body of research seeking to better understand and support individuals with a sexual attraction towards children (Cantor & McPhail, 2016;Grady et al, 2019;Houtepen et al, 2016;Jahnke et al, 2018;Jahnke, Schmidt, et al, 2015;Levenson & Grady, 2019b;Lievesley et al, 2020;Stevens & Wood, 2019). Minor-attracted persons (MAPs) express a predominant or exclusive sexual attraction to children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Primary health professionals’ beliefs, experiences, and willingness to treat minor attracted persons

Lievesley¹,

Swaby²,

Ca³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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There is a desire and need among minor attracted persons (MAPs) to access support within the community, and this often begins with an approach to healthcare providers working in general medical/mental health settings. However, little is known about the experiences of these non-specialist professionals in relation to their beliefs, knowledge, and decision-making processes when working with patients who disclose sexual attractions to children. Using an online survey, this study explored the knowledge, comfort, competence, and treatment willingness of 220 non-specialist healthcare providers when faced with patients who disclose sexual attractions to children. We investigated the prevalence of these disclosures, clinician stigma, treatment priorities, and professionals’ willingness to report MAPs to external agencies because of their sexual attractions. Some key differences were found when comparing primary medical vs mental health professionals, including increased likelihood to view MAPs as dangerous, unable to control behaviors and that sexual attractions are an avoidable choice, in the former group. Both groups prioritized mental health treatment targets above controlling attractions and living with stigmatized attractions, although controlling or changing attractions were still relatively high priorities. Results indicated a need for further training, focusing on increasing comfort around working with MAPs, as this was associated with a greater willingness to work with this group. We identify current gaps in service provision for MAPs seeking professional support and discuss recommendations for professional training.

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“I Despise Myself for Thinking about Them.” A Thematic Analysis of the Mental Health Implications and Employed Coping Mechanisms of Self-Reported Non-Offending Minor Attracted Persons

Abstract: The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.

Cited by 39 publications

References 61 publications

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

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

“We do exist”: The Experiences of Women Living with a Sexual Interest in Minors

Primary health professionals’ beliefs, experiences, and willingness to treat minor attracted persons

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