The latent structure of Multiphasic Sex Inventory–Assessed Pedophilic Interest.

Abstract

The Multiphasic Sex Inventory (MSI; Nichols & Molinder, 1984) is a self-report measure frequently used in the assessment of sex offenders. Scores on the MSI are often used to assess levels of pedophilic interest. However, the question of whether men with pedophilia represent a unique group distinguished by their sexual interests, or whether they are high-scorers on a continuum of sexual interest in children among men who sexually offend against children remains unanswered. Because no existing evidence points conclusively to pedophilia having either a categorical or continuous latent structure, it is unresolved whether MSI scores should be treated as a continuous measure of severity or whether a cut score should be used to categorize individuals as members of a pedophilic taxon. In the present study, the authors used 3 taxometric procedures to analyze the latent structure of pedophilic interest in a sample of 371 convicted child sex offenders. The results converged to indicate that pedophilic interest (as measured by the MSI) is dimensional. The implications of these findings for the assessment of pedophilic interest are discussed.

Is pedophilic sexual preference continuous? A taxometric analysis based on direct and indirect measures.

“…On the other hand, Mackaronis, Strassberg, and Marcus (2011) reported that sexual interest in children as measured with the self-report Multiphasic Sex Inventory (MSI; Nichols & Molinder, 1996) was found to be a dimensional, not a taxonic construct.…”

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

“…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).…”

Development and Preliminary Validation of the Pedophilic Fantasies, Desires, and Activities Questionnaire

“…It should be noted that several studies have sought to determine whether the latent structure of pedophilic disorder is taxonic (patients with pedophilic disorders represent a discrete class of individuals) or dimensional (sexual interest in children is best conceptualized as a continuum). No definitive conclusion has been reached, with studies supporting a dimensional structure (Mackaronis, Strassberg, & Marcus, 2011; Stephens, Leroux, Skilling, Cantor, & Seto, 2017) or a taxonic one (McPhail, Olver, Brouillette-Alarie, & Looman, 2018; Schmidt, Mokros, & Banse, 2013). In the present study, we assumed that within the population of men with pedophilia, sexual interest for children varied across patients or even within patients.…”