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Archives of Sexual Behavior Feb 2012In this article, I address the question of whether pedophilia in men can be construed as a male sexual orientation, and the implications for thinking of it in this way...
In this article, I address the question of whether pedophilia in men can be construed as a male sexual orientation, and the implications for thinking of it in this way for scientific research, clinical practice, and public policy. I begin by defining pedophilia and sexual orientation, and then compare pedophilia (as a potential sexual orientation with regard to age) to sexual orientations with regard to gender (heterosexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality), on the bases of age of onset, correlations with sexual and romantic behavior, and stability over time. I conclude with comments about the potential social and legal implications of conceptualizing pedophilia as a type of sexual orientation in males.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Pedophilia; Sexual Behavior; Sexuality
PubMed: 22218786
DOI: 10.1007/s10508-011-9882-6 -
Annual Review of Clinical Psychology 2009Pedophilia is defined as a sexual interest in prepubescent children. It is empirically linked with sexual offending against children: Child pornography offenders and sex... (Review)
Review
Pedophilia is defined as a sexual interest in prepubescent children. It is empirically linked with sexual offending against children: Child pornography offenders and sex offenders with child victims are more likely to be pedophiles based on self-report or objective measures of sexual interests. At the same time, some pedophiles have not had any known sexual contact with children, and perhaps half of sex offenders against children would not meet diagnostic criteria for pedophilia. Pedophilia can be diagnosed using a variety of methods and is an important factor to consider in the assessment of sex offenders because pedophilic offenders are more likely to sexually reoffend and require different interventions. There is no evidence to suggest that pedophilia can be changed. Instead, interventions are designed to increase voluntary control over sexual arousal, reduce sex drive, or teach self-management skills to individuals who are motivated to avoid acting upon their sexual interests.
Topics: Adult; Child; Choice Behavior; Humans; Male; Pedophilia; Penile Erection; Risk Factors; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 19327034
DOI: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.032408.153618 -
JAMA Nov 2002This article addresses the risk factors associated with the psychiatric disorder pedophilia, its treatment, and treatment outcomes. It addresses physician... (Review)
Review
This article addresses the risk factors associated with the psychiatric disorder pedophilia, its treatment, and treatment outcomes. It addresses physician responsibilities associated with case identification of victims and possible roles in the medical management of pedophilia. The essential feature of pedophilia is that an individual is sexually attracted exclusively or in part to prepubescent children. While pedophilia may be limited to fantasies and impulses, pedophilic behaviors are the primary concern of both the mental health and criminal justice systems. Remote risk factors for development of pedophilia often include the individual having been sexually abused as a child. Proximate risk factors for its behavioral expression are prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders and substance abuse disorders. Current treatment goals focus on stopping the behavior and achieving long-term behavioral control in the community. Common treatment methods are cognitive-behavioral, group therapy, and, when appropriate, medications such as androgen-lowering agents that can act as sexual appetite suppressants. Meta-analyses have established that treatment is more effective than nontreatment in preventing recidivism of sexual offenders in general, a finding that has a high probability of application to individuals with pedophilia. Pedophilia is a chronic psychiatric disorder, but it is treatable in terms of developing strategies for preventing behavioral expression. Ultimately, reducing the prevalence of pedophilic behavior requires further collaboration between the criminal justice system and the health care communities.
Topics: Adult; Child; Child Abuse, Sexual; Humans; Legislation as Topic; Pedophilia; Physician's Role; Risk Factors; Social Control, Formal; United States
PubMed: 12435259
DOI: 10.1001/jama.288.19.2458 -
Translational Psychiatry Jan 2023Idiopathic and acquired pedophilia are two different disorders with two different etiologies. However, the differential diagnosis is still very difficult, as the... (Review)
Review
Idiopathic and acquired pedophilia are two different disorders with two different etiologies. However, the differential diagnosis is still very difficult, as the behavioral indicators used to discriminate the two forms of pedophilia are underexplored, and clinicians are still devoid of clear guidelines describing the clinical and neuroscientific investigations suggested to help them with this difficult task. Furthermore, the consequences of misdiagnosis are not known, and a consensus regarding the legal consequences for the two kinds of offenders is still lacking. The present study used the Delphi method to reach a global consensus on the following six topics: behavioral indicators/red flags helpful for differential diagnosis; neurological conditions potentially leading to acquired pedophilia; neuroscientific investigations important for a correct understanding of the case; consequences of misdiagnosis; legal consequences; and issues and future perspectives. An international and multidisciplinary board of scientists and clinicians took part in the consensus statements as Delphi members. The Delphi panel comprised 52 raters with interdisciplinary competencies, including neurologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, forensic psychologists, expert in ethics, etc. The final recommendations consisted of 63 statements covering the six different topics. The current study is the first expert consensus on a delicate topic such as pedophilia. Important exploitable consensual recommendations that can ultimately be of immediate use by clinicians to help with differential diagnosis and plan and guide therapeutic interventions are described, as well as future perspectives for researchers.
Topics: Humans; Pedophilia; Delphi Technique; Consensus; Physicians; Criminals
PubMed: 36653356
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02314-8 -
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 2023Pedophilia is a significant public health problem. Despite its cost to society, little effort has been directed toward understanding idiographic differences in the... (Review)
Review
Pedophilia is a significant public health problem. Despite its cost to society, little effort has been directed toward understanding idiographic differences in the development and maintenance of pedophilia. Extant literature emphasizes biological underpinnings and predictors of re-offense. In this article, we posit that pedophilic penchants in males originate due to language, cognition, emotions, and emotion regulation. Adverse childhood experiences, such as emotional and sexual abuse, are posited as a major contributor to the etiology of pedophilia. However, not all individuals attracted to minors present with similar childhood adversities. The development of pedophilia, in the absence of such direct training (childhood adversities), is difficult to comprehend. Relational frame theory, a comprehensive account of human language and cognition, aids in deciphering the idiographic underpinnings of pedophilia. The role of maladaptive emotion regulation in maintaining pedophilia is also described. This article presents examples of how relational frames are established and activated in distressing contexts. Finally, implications for future research are discussed.
Topics: Male; Child; Humans; Pedophilia; Child Abuse, Sexual; Sexual Behavior; Cognition; Emotions
PubMed: 37463124
DOI: 10.1080/10538712.2023.2236602 -
Archives of Sexual Behavior Oct 2012This article presents a critical review of the recent controversies concerning the diagnosis of pedophilia in the context of the preparation of the fifth edition of the... (Review)
Review
This article presents a critical review of the recent controversies concerning the diagnosis of pedophilia in the context of the preparation of the fifth edition of the DSM. The analysis focuses basically on the relationship between pedophilia and the current DSM-IV-TR's definition of mental disorder. Scholars appear not to share numerous basic assumptions ranging from their underlying ideas about what constitutes a mental disorder to the role of psychiatry in modern society, including irreconcilable theories about human sexuality, which interfere with reaching any kind of a consensus as to what the psychiatric status of pedophilia should be. It is questioned if the diagnosis of pedophilia contained in the DSM is more forensic than therapeutic, focusing rather on the dangers inherent in the condition of pedophilia (dangerous dysfunction) than on its negative effects for the subject (harmful dysfunction). The apparent necessity of the diagnosis of pedophilia in the DSM is supported, but the basis for this diagnosis is uncertain.
Topics: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Humans; Mental Disorders; Pedophilia
PubMed: 22367174
DOI: 10.1007/s10508-012-9919-5 -
Current Psychiatry Reports Apr 2013Paraphilia is a set of disorders characterized by abnormal sexual desires. Perhaps most discussed amongst them, pedophilia is a complex interaction of disturbances of... (Review)
Review
Paraphilia is a set of disorders characterized by abnormal sexual desires. Perhaps most discussed amongst them, pedophilia is a complex interaction of disturbances of the emotional, cognitive and sexual experience. Using new imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, neural correlates of emotional, sexual and cognitive abnormalities and interactions have been investigated. As described on the basis of current research, altered patterns of brain activity, especially in the frontal areas of the brain, are seen in pedophilia. Building on these results, the analysis of neural correlates of impaired psychological functions opens the opportunity to further explore sexual deviances, which may contribute ultimately to the development of tools for risk assessment, classification methods and new therapeutic approaches.
Topics: Brain; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Pedophilia; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 23435970
DOI: 10.1007/s11920-013-0351-x -
Brain Imaging and Behavior Oct 2021Pedophilia is a disorder of public concern because of its association with child sexual offense and recidivism. Previous neuroimaging studies of potential brain... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Pedophilia is a disorder of public concern because of its association with child sexual offense and recidivism. Previous neuroimaging studies of potential brain abnormalities underlying pedophilic behavior, either in idiopathic or acquired (i.e., emerging following brain damages) pedophilia, led to inconsistent results. This study sought to explore the neural underpinnings of pedophilic behavior and to determine the extent to which brain alterations may be related to distinct psychopathological features in pedophilia. To this aim, we run a coordinate based meta-analysis on previously published papers reporting whole brain analysis and a lesion network analysis, using brain lesions as seeds in a resting state connectivity analysis. The behavioral profiling approach was applied to link identified regions with the corresponding psychological processes. While no consistent neuroanatomical alterations were identified in idiopathic pedophilia, the current results support that all the lesions causing acquired pedophilia are localized within a shared resting state network that included posterior midlines structures, right inferior temporal gyrus and bilateral orbitofrontal cortex. These regions are associated with action inhibition and social cognition, abilities that are consistently and severely impaired in acquired pedophiles. This study suggests that idiopathic and acquired pedophilia may be two distinct disorders, in line with their distinctive clinical features, including age of onset, reversibility and modus operandi. Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of pedophilic behavior may contribute to a more comprehensive characterization of these individuals on a clinical ground, a pivotal step forward for the development of more efficient therapeutic rehabilitation strategies.
Topics: Brain; Child; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neuroimaging; Pedophilia; Sex Offenses
PubMed: 33507519
DOI: 10.1007/s11682-020-00442-z -
Sexual Medicine Reviews Oct 2022The term "paedophilia erotica" was first coined in 1886 by the psychiatrist Krafft-Ebing and it was considered a "psycho-sexual perversion." It was at the beginning of... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
The term "paedophilia erotica" was first coined in 1886 by the psychiatrist Krafft-Ebing and it was considered a "psycho-sexual perversion." It was at the beginning of the twentieth century that the term "pedophilia" was adopted and it started to appear in medical dictionaries. Sexual abuse is legally defined as the engagement in sexual contact with a person below a specified age or who is incapable of giving consent. Both, pedophilia and child sexual abuse (CSA) are worldwide phenomena requiring deep scientific knowledge in order to improve prevention strategies. Individuals' misconceptions of pedophilia and CSA may legitimize sexual violence, which can influence prevention strategies and policies.
OBJECTIVES
This review aimed to summarize existing research to help answer the question: "What are laypeople´s myths regarding pedophilia and CSA?"
METHODS
This systematic review followed the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to identify as many relevant articles as possible. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost databases for articles published before January 2022. Sixty-one articles were included in the current review.
RESULTS
Overall, findings revealed a significant number of myths regarding pedophilia and CSA, organized into the following categories: (i) blame diffusion, (ii) denial of abusiveness, (iii) restrictive stereotypes, (iv) victim age and consequences, (v) social stigma, (vi) punitive attitudes, and (vii) treatment.
CONCLUSION
Findings suggested that laypeople's perceptions should be taken into account when devising prevention policies. Additionally, perceptions should also be a target of prevention since there is evidence of social stigma and prejudice involving individuals with pedophilia. Such phenomena can contribute to social, emotional, and cognitive problems, among said individuals as well as causing these individuals to exhibit a higher risk for abusive behavior and less help-seeking. Glina F, Barroso R, Cardoso D, et al. Lay People´s Myths Regarding Pedophilia and Child Sexual Abuse: A Systematic Review. Sex Med Rev 2022;10:596-619.
Topics: Attitude; Child; Child Abuse, Sexual; Humans; Paraphilic Disorders; Pedophilia; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 36030179
DOI: 10.1016/j.sxmr.2022.06.010 -
Psychiatria Hungarica : a Magyar... 2013This article deals with the incidence, diagnosis and treatment of pedophilia as a conceptualized mental disorder. Pedophilia is a category of sexual deviation...
This article deals with the incidence, diagnosis and treatment of pedophilia as a conceptualized mental disorder. Pedophilia is a category of sexual deviation characterized by a sexual interest toward children under 13 years according to DSM-IV-TR or children under 14 years as determined by the law. Pedophilia is a distinguished form of child sexual abuse as a legal category. Today pedophilia patients are stigmatized and excluded from society not only in general, but also in prisons and forensic units. However, the phenomenon of pedophilia originates from the disorder of emotional, cognitive, sexual development as well as some social factors have also a significant role in this area, especially virtual social networks and the media. The combination of miscellaneous factors makes the social reintegration of patients in treatment very difficult and results in a high risk for relapse. The complexity of this topic can also be demonstrated by the high frequency of mental disorders among the victims.
Topics: Child; Child Abuse, Sexual; Comorbidity; Crime; Humans; Mental Disorders; Narration; Pedophilia; Recurrence; Risk Factors; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 23880515
DOI: No ID Found