Pedophilia: Definition, classifications, criminological and neurobiological profiles, and clinical treatments. A complete review (original) (raw)
Related papers
Pedophilia: Psychiatric Insights
Family Court Review, 2003
Sex offenses against children are considered the worst of cnrnes, even arnong cnminals thernselves. Attitudes have changed frorn blaming the victim to holding the perpetrator responsible for the actions. The prevalence of such offenses continues unabated despite the stigma for the offender and the irreparable trauma to the victim. Society and the medical and legal comrnunities have to present a more feasible definition ofthe problern, addressing specifically the acts that fdl under the term ofpedophilia. A plan needs to be formulated by various disciplines working together for the common goal of identifj4ng the most effective method to deal with the victims and perpetrator and also to lower the incidence and recidivism rates. Different psychological and biological tests have been devised for investigations but fall short of the desired purpose. Various treatment modalities have been suggested and tried, but much work still needs to be done in that area.
JAMA, 1980
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 ther...
Key Identifiers of Pedophilia and Differences in Pedophile Brain Morphology: A Comparative Approach
I n the late 1800s to the early 1900s, pedophilia was considered a sexual perversion for weak minded people. With its official addition to the DSMII (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- II) in 1952, pedophilia began to be viewed by experts as a mental disorder. Within the past few decades, a collection of research has been devoted to gaining a better understanding of how pedophilia can be detected and what are its causes. Research concludes that the pedophilic brain is different from the brain of a healthy person in a few different aspects. This review first considers different methods for determining if a person has pedophilic tendencies such as IATs (Implicit Association Tests), phallocentric testing, and fMRIs (functional magnetic resonance imaging. Then this paper looks at identified differences in the pedophilic brain such as abnormalities in the frontal cortex and the amount of gray and white mater. Lastly this paper outlines hormone treatment and its negative effect on pedophilic compulsions. With further understanding of pedophilia, better treatments, even cures can be produced. Keywords: Pedophilia, White/Gray Matter, Testosterone, Frontal Cortex, Phallometric Testing
Pedophilia: biosocial dimensions
1990
This is Part II of a two-part article addressing the relationship of pedophilia and the homosexualities to the important issue of sexual advances by Roman Catholic priests and religious brothers towards minors, most of whom have been pubescent boys. Part I appeared in the previous issue of Antonianum and should be read first. It addressed the basics of human sexuality, including human sexual (gender and age) orientations. Part II will address the widely held implication that men who are homosexual, especially in the priesthood and religious life, are particularly prone to pedophilia. Is this implication correct? Or is the association better understood as semantic confusion, homophobia, or both? On these and some other issues related to harm reduction and prevention, the concluding Part II of this article aims to present the "best knowledge" among professionals today, including the author's own work, as his contribution to the ongoing discussion.
2005
This study examined the utility of the diagnosis of pedophilia in a sample of extra-familial child molesters assessed at a university teaching hospital between 1983 and 1995. Pedophilia was defined in one of four ways: 1) A DSM diagnosis made by a psychiatrist 2) A deviant phallometric profile 3) A DSM diagnosis and a deviant phallometric profile, and 4) high scores based on the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interest (Seto & Lalumière, 2001). Demographic data and information on psychological tests, offence history and recidivism were gathered and group differences were analyzed along with the ability of certain variables to uniquely contribute to the classification of pedophilia. Results indicated that few differences existed on psychological measures between pedophilic and nonpedophilic sexual offenders regardless of the classification system used. Additionally, results indicated that the construct of pedophilia was unable to reveal differences in sexual, violent, or criminal reci...
Pedophilia - the Need for New Research and a New Solution to the Problem
Nauka, bezbednost, policija
Paedophilia is a specific disorder in a spectre of sexual affinities in humans, which is in the nomenclature of the World Health Organization in the group of sexual preference disorders or paraphilia. Due to mobility, inventiveness, and invisibility, there is no relevant statistical data about this deviation’s volume and extensiveness. This paper aims to determine the prevalence of paedophiles in the general population based on an anonymous survey, the number of processed perpetrators of sexual offenses toward children, and the number of unique visitors of the Internet “decoy”. The research data were gathered through an anonymous survey (the survey was created for this research purposes, and it was an indirect, written survey) that enveloped a total of 658 individuals (60.49% males and 39.51% females) through the creation of a virtual Internet profile (1095 visitors, 89.86% males and 10.14% females), as well as through the statistical data of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic...
Sexual deviations. Considerations regarding pedophilia - mith and reality
International Journal of Advanced Studies in Sexology, 2019
Taking to consideration the antropology venues, the medical disclosures regarding paraphilia, centered on pedophilia, the present paper tries to make an introduction review on the topic under discussion. However, regardless the type of studies made over the time, whether they consisted in questionnaires and forums where people were invited to comment upon this sexual disorder or deviation, to more complex medical research involving MRI scans and DNA analysis, none of them proved their effectiveness, or found a real cause.
Indirect and Neuropsychological Indicators of Pedophilia
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 2020
The present study aimed to differentiate pedophilic child sex offenders (CSOs) from nonoffending controls (CTLs), as well as contact from noncontact CSOs. For this purpose, we investigated 21 contact CSOs, 20 noncontact CSOs (child pornography offenders), as well as 21 CTLs on neuropsychological test measures and indirect test measures of sexual interest. Multiple logistic regression models showed that three parameters of indirect tests and two neuropsychological test parameters allowed the differentiation of CSOs from CTLs with a maximum accuracy of 87%. The profile of contact and noncontact CSOs was remarkably similar and the optimal model for this group differentiation had a maximum accuracy of 66%, with slightly increased levels of risk-taking behavior and greater susceptibility for perceptual interference in contact CSOs than in noncontact CSOs. The findings suggest that standardized, objective methods can support the assessment of sexual offenders against children in forensic psychiatry and legal psychology.
Infantophilia--a new subcategory of pedophilia?: a preliminary study
The Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 1995
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has included three subgroups of pedophilic disorder based on the gender of the victim, the exclusiveness of the subject's preference for children, and whether the behavior is limited to incest. This study uses the pedophile's preference for age of victim as a means of delineating two distinct subgroups. The first group of so-called 'infantophiles' had victims who were less than five years old, while the latter subgroup of pedophiles had victims between the ages of 6 and 12 years (n = 38). The primary purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that these two subgroups, based on the age of the victims, can be further distinguished by descriptive parameters. Various standardized questionnaires were administered to the subjects. The results of the study are discussed and suggestions made with regard to future research efforts.