Taxometric analyses of pedophilia utilizing self-report, behavioral, and sexual arousal indicators.

Abstract

Pedophilia refers to the recurrent, intense sexual interest in prepubescent children who, by definition, have not developed any secondary sex characteristics. Researchers have begun to investigate whether persons with pedophilia are qualitatively different from those without pedophilia (pedophilia is a taxon) or if people vary in their level of sexual interest toward children (pedophilia is dimensional). Two relatively small studies have previously attempted to address this question, but produced conflicting results. The present study built on these studies with a substantially larger sample of 2,227 men who committed sexual offenses and were assessed at a sexual behavior clinic. The present study also examined a broader range of measures more closely approximating the diagnostic criteria for pedophilic disorder, including phallometric assessment of sexual arousal patterns. The results of 3 taxometric analyses did not find support for the assertion that pedophilia is a taxon. (PsycINFO Database Record

Interventions for Pedohebephilic Arousal in Men Convicted for Sexual Offenses Against Children: A Meta-Analytic Review

“…Recent taxometric research has found pedophilic interest to be taxonic (Brankley, 2019; McPhail et al, 2018; Schmidt et al, 2013) and dimensional (Stephens et al, 2017). The main meta-analyses that we conducted model pedohebephilic interest as a dimension.…”

Differences in Sexual Interest in Children Between Men Who Commit Undetected Versus Detected Sexual Offenses

“…The use of clinical assessment data for research purposes was approved by the institutional research ethics board. This archival database has been used in previous studies examining different research questions about the assessment of sexual interest in children and the validity of various assessment measures used at the clinic (Barbaree, Blanchard, & Langton, 2003; Blanchard 2011; Blanchard & Barbaree, 2005; Blanchard, Kuban, et al, 2009; Blanchard, Lykins, et al, 2009; Blanchard et al, 2001; 2006, 2007, 2012; Cantor & McPhail, 2015; Lykins et al, 2010; Seto, Cantor, & Blanchard, 2006; Seto, Stephens, et al, 2017; Stephens, Leroux, Skilling, Cantor, & Seto, 2017; Stephens, Seto, Goodwill, & Cantor, 2017, 2018; Stephens et al, 2019). The database is not publicly available because it contains sensitive clinical data and there is a potential risk that participants could be identified by triangulation of data.…”

Die Bedeutung kognitiver Verzerrungen für die Diagnose einer pädosexuellen Präferenzstörung bei inhaftierten Tätern mit Sexualdelikten in Österreich

“…xuelles Interesse an Kindern, die per definitionem noch keine sekundären Geschlechtsmerkmale entwickelt haben (Seto 2009;Stephens et al 2017). Dabei wird u. a. zwischen exklusiver und nichtexklusiver Pädophilie unterschieden.…”

“…Bei einer nicht-exklusiven Pädophilie kann sich der Betroffene hingegen auch zu Erwachsenen sexuell hingezogen fühlen (APA 2013). Das Ausmaß des sexuellen Interesses an Kindern ist individuell unterschiedlich, sodass Pädophilie auch als dimensionales Konstrukt mit unterschiedlichen Ausprägungsgraden verstanden werden kann (Mackaronis et al 2011;Stephens et al 2017).…”