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PEDOPHILIA.
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Examines research on the topic of sexual attraction and abuse by adults of children.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Examines research on the topic of sexual attraction and abuse by adults of children. Definitions and characteristics of pedophilia and child molesters. Extent ot pedophilia and problem of non-reported incidences. Varioius causal explanations. Psychological causes. Traits and behaviors of pedophilias. Difficulty of treatment. Need to develop prevention and intervention strategies.
Paper Introduction:
Review of Literature
Introduction
The purpose of this review of literature is to examine the current state of research centered on the definition, incidence, causes, effects, and treatment of pedophilia. Sections of the review will be focused on each of these inter-related concerns. The research hypothesis under examination herein is stated as follows: Pedophiles who were sexually abused as children are primarily attracted to children of approximately the same age as they were themselves when first sexually abused.
Definitions of Pedophilia
For the purposes of this study, pedophilia is generally understood as the sexual attraction of an adult to an individual who has not reached sexual maturity. However, the literature reveals that this gene
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Gale Encyclopedia ofMedicine. Specifically, the lifetime prevalence ofmood disorder in this group was 67 percent, while 64 percent of thesubjects met the criteria for an anxiety disorder, 6 percent forpsychoactive substance use disorder, 53 percent for another paraphiliadiagnosis, and 24 percent for a sexual dysfunction diagnosis. Federal Probation, 56(2), 34-38. Were such aparadigm shift to occur, society and the psychological professions wouldappear to be giving tacit consent to pedophilia in cases where victimizedchildren putatively give their consent to the experience or report that itwas positive rather than negative. A recent report in Newsweek (What is a pedophile?, 2 1) drew upon aresults of several studies conducted by medical and psychologicalresearchers to comment that: . Traits and Behaviors of Pedophiles Okami and Goldberg (1992) critically reviewed the literature relatedto personality correlators of pedophilia. These subjects were compared among each other andwith 47 self-professed heterosexual and 2 self-professed homosexual malevolunteers phalometrically diagnosed as having an erotic preference forphysically mature partners. (2 ). These cases were compared to cases of physical abuse andneglect and a control group matched for age, race, sex, and approximatefamily socioeconomic status. Parental punishment of a small boy for sustaining and flaunting an erection. As adults, child sexual abusevictims were at higher risk of arrest for sex crimes than others, morelikely to be arrested for prostitution, and more likely to be arrested forviolent sex crimes. Pedophilia. One adaptation strategy seeks mastery throughactive repetition of the trauma, while the other adaptation copes byavoiding sexual stimuli. The Journal of Psychology, 134(2), 211-217. It is theorized that an individual may repeator revert to a sexual habit arising early in life, lending credence to thenotion that a pedophile may target children roughly the same age as thepedophile when he or she was first abused. Doermann, D. as of the 194 s, 24 percent of females disclosed sexual abuse at the hands of a male 5 years or more older prior to age 14, with sexual intercourse occurring in 93 percent of cases and with fondling or mild petting also occurring in 31 percent of cases. Often, pedophiles arevictims of childhood sexual, physical or psychological abuse; most aredeficient in social skills, and thus experience difficulties in attractingand interacting with peers. (1998). Theanalysis of self-reports confirmed that the proportion of pedophiles whoreport having been sexually abused in childhood by mature individuals islarger than that of men who were not charged with or accused of a sexoffense against a child. 3. Musk and Vernon (1997) differentiate between "situational pedophiles"and true pedophiles by noting that the former may molest children onoccasion but do not have a basic sexual preference for children.Situational pedophiles include individuals who are mentally ill, retarded,or under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The research hypothesis under examinationherein is stated as follows: Pedophiles who were sexually abused aschildren are primarily attracted to children of approximately the same ageas they were themselves when first sexually abused. the cost of incarcerating individuals convicted of sexually abusing children reached more than $2 billion in 1992; . What is a pedophile? For each sex offender, the differential diagnosis of an eroticpreference for minors versus physically mature partners was made by meansof the phallometric test of erotic gender and age preferences. (1993). Child sexual abuse: Intermediate and long-termeffects and intervention. Equally significant is the factthat regardless of how pedophiles select victims, more effective treatmentand intervention mechanisms must be developed. Mosby's Medical Nursing & Allied HealthDictionary. M., Bradford, J., & Curry, S. Many exhibitenormous skill in relating to youth and report strong emotional as well asphysical attachments to their child victims. Inresponse to questioning, 42 percent of the pedophiles and 44 percent of thehebophiles claimed to have been sexually abused in their childhood.Members of both groups in this study appeared to choose victims inaccordance with their own ages at the time of their experience as sexualvictims. Raymond, N. 5. Pure pedophiles, incontrast, are almost exclusively aroused by erotic images of children.Many have histories of working as coaches, youth leaders in churches, or inother capacities that place them in contact with children. This researcher notesthat defining normality - or the standards and norms against which sexualvariations are assessed - is both difficult and arbitrary in that thedefinition not only varies from one culture to another, but also requiresmaking value judgments about and labeling others. What the Internet does is make it necessary toreconsider traditional definitions of pedophilia and to include in thosedefinitions much more than the actual sexual touching or penetration of aminor victim. A total of 262 phallometrically diagnosedpedophiles were divided into heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual groupsand further grouped according to the degree of admission of an eroticpreference for children. The darker side of the Net. Mullen, P. It also appears to be potentially likely to admit greater tolerancefor behaviors that are socially, ethically, morally, legally, andpsychologically unacceptable. Green (1993) thereforeconcludes that there is a wide variety of psychological sequelae that havebeen documented in sexually abused children, with a higher-than-averagetendency toward repetition of either victimization at the hands of an adultor victimization of children. Causes of Pedophilia Any number of causal explanations for pedophilia have been advancedin the literature, and there is some level of disagreement among experts asto the exact roots of this problem. Child Abuse and Neglect, 18(8), 683-698. Pedophilia in thecorrectional system. Sixty-seven percent molest only family members; 12 percent target males; 21 percent target both sexes; . The child becomes anobject rather than a person and once sexual activities are initiated, theybecome self-reinforcing, addictive, and a continuing reason to repeatabusive activities. Additionally, pedophiles appeared to be mostlikely to target victims of approximately the same age that they were ifthey were victims of sexual abuse and of the same gender as themselves. Victims of childhood sexual abuse may exhibitpsychopathologies including chronic anxiety, depression, delayedposttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety attacks, and hystericalsymptoms. Talk therapies can beuseful in augmenting pharmaceutical therapies, but Bradford (2 ) alsomaintains that the high degree of comorbidity and other paraphilias withAxis-I and Axis-II diagnoses tends to complicate pharmacologicalintervention. B. Respondents wereasked to recall unwanted sexual contacts occurring before their seventeenthbirthday and 117 or 15.6 percent reported having experienced one or moreunwanted sexual contacts. Sexual abuse of a young male. This discrepancy highlights the relativelack of attention which is given to pedophilia and other sex offenses andunderscores the need for a renewed or enhanced focus on developingprevention and intervention strategies to meet the needs of victims as wellas perpetrators. The following are identified by Doermann (1999) as situations orcauses that might lead an individual in a paraphiliac direction: 1. It is interesting that Raymond, Coleman, Ohlerking, Christenson, andMiner (1999) have found a relatively high level of psychiatric comorbidityin pedophiliac sex offenders. S., & Ames, M. Bradford (2 ), for example, pointsout that at this time, no one is certain of the cause of pedophilia andother paraphilias. pedophiles who do sexually molest their victims tend to be antisocial, predatory, impulsive and exploitative. While no data were generatedby this confidential study with respect to the question of what age ofchildren was associated with pedophiliac behavior by former victims ofsexual abuse, a strong correlation between past victimization and presentsexual behavior was determined. For pedophiles who target boys, the average number of victims is 231, versus an average of 32 for those who target females; . Musk, H., Swetz, A., & Vernon, M. Psychological profile of pedophiles and childmolesters. Most pedophilesare male, but there are cases of women having repeated sexual contact(which may include kissing, fondling, sexual intercourse, and/orvoyeurism). 68D1. (1991). Treating Pedophilia The treatment of pedophilia is extremely difficult in that manypedophiles are not identified and do not come into contact with thecounseling professions. In the United States, various studies reported by Bradford(2 ) reveal that: . Victims of sexual abuse may also experience difficulties inintimate relationships and express a sense of alienation, isolation,stigmatization, and a negative self-image. The neutral term"paraphilia" is used to describe what used to be called sexual perversions;a paraphilia is a condition in which an individual's sexual arousal andgratification depend upon a fantasy theme or an unusual situation or objectthat becomes the principal focus of sexual behavior. Bentovim (1993) indicated that female victims of sexual abuse tend tointernalize their response to the experience, believing that the abuse istheir fault and developing negative self-attributes, the adoption of victimroles, and a predisposition toward such disorders as anorexia nervosa. Newsweek, March 19, 48. W. F., Bezeau, S., Kuban, M., & Blanchard, R. Although men who abuse children tend to suggestthat their sexual interest in children was triggered by failedrelationships, the blocking of sexual outlets, or their own child reachingan age and resembling their partner at the time they met, these may be morerationalizations than reasons for the abusive behavior. pedophiles may or may not have been abused as children, and may not necessarily engage in sexual intercourse with their victims, preferring to fondle, observe, or verbally interact with children; . What makes a child molester? (199 ). Zuriff (2 ) makes note of the fact that in 1999,researchers Bruce Rind, Robert Bauserman, and Philip Tromovitch publishedthe results of a meta-analytic study of the assumed properties of childsexual abuse. This researcher argued that the socialization of youngchildren may play a role in both how they respond to a similar abusesituation or experience and how they themselves internalize this experienceand reflect the experience in their adult sexual preferences and behaviors. The combination of emotional abuse in the respondent's childhood withmultiple events of sexual abuse was identified by Bagley, et al (1994) as arelatively good predictor of both poor mental health and later sexualinterest in or sexual contact with children. Bogaert, A. References Bagley, C., Wood, M., & Young, L. Murray (2 ) contends that most pedophiles andchild molesters are male and can be heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual.Some actually prefer adult sex partners but choose children because theyare available and vulnerable. Many pedophiles are members of familiescharacterized by confused member roles. Sexual variations. In clinical literature, sexualvariations began to be discussed in the second half of the nineteenthcentury; the classic example of such discussions is Richard von Krafft-Ebbing's Psychopathia Sexualis, first published in 1887; the author, aneuropsychiatrist, detailed pedophilia among other sexual variations asoutside of the social norms surrounding sexual behavior and orientation (deSilva, 1999). However, Bentovim (1993) does caution that not all adults who aresexually interested in or sexually involved with children were sexuallyabused during their own childhood. Doermann (1999, p.2596) notes that the American Psychological Association (APA), in its DSM-IV, defines paraphilias as sexual impulse disorders characterized by intensely arousing, recurrent sexual fantasies, urges and behaviors considered deviant with respect to cultural norms and that produce clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of psychological functioning.The most common forms of sexual activity classified as paraphilias includethe inability to resist an impulse for the sexual act, the requirement ofparticipation by non-consenting or underage individuals, legalconsequences, resulting sexual dysfunction, and interference with normalsocial relationships (Doermann, 1999). When incarceratedsexual offender pedophiles are studied, data reveal that about one-halfwere themselves sexually abused as children. Goode (1994) notedthat of the 85, thousand incarcerated sex offenders in American prisonsin 1993, only 11,2 were enrolled in treatment programs. (1993). M. Surprisingly, the researchers found that childhoodsexual abuse was not (at least in their limited sample) associated withlong-term psychological harm or any pronounced tendency toward adultvictimization of others, including children. Mullen (1991) has argued that people who give a history of childhoodsexual abuse have increased rates of depressive disorders, anxietydisorders, and alcohol and drug abuse. A study by Widom and Ames (1994) assessed the long-term criminalconsequences of childhood sexual abuse through an examination of officialcriminal histories for a large sample of validated cases of childhoodsexual abuse. Kuznetzov, Pierson, and Harry (1992) examined a database of 8 8incarcerated male sex offenders. These researchers reviewed and analyzed data from 59pervious studies of college students who had reported experiences ofchildhood sexual abuse. Zuriff (2 ), in responding to this research study, questionedwhether or not its publication signaled a paradigm shift in thepsychological construction of pedophilia and an effort to diminish thesignificance of pedophiliac offenses. A study by Bagley, Wood, and Young (1994) involved a stratified randomsample of 75 males aged 18 to 27 in Calgary, Canada. However,Goode (1994) maintains that little success is associated with theseprograms, particularly once the offender returns to mainstream society. Fear of sexual performance or intimacy. Bogaert, Bezeau, Kuban, and Blanchard (1997) examined therelationships between pedophilia, sexual orientation, and birth order. Bradford, J. The consequences of child sexual abuse.British Medical Journal, 3 3(6795), 142-144. Eighty percent havea documented history of childhood sexual abuse (de Silva, 1999). A. Those recalling multiple events of abuse (52individuals or 6.9 percent of all respondents) were distinguished fromother respondents at a statistically significant level on severalindicators, including: emotional abuse in childhood, higher rates ofcurrent or recent depression, anxiety, suicidal feelings and behavior, andcurrent sexual interest in or actual behavior involving minors. E. Non-incarcerated pedophiles report only 1 in 8 child sex offenses that result in arrest.These data, while perhaps not exhaustive or capable of capturing the trueincidence of pedophilia, do demonstrate that it is a problem of enormoussignificance. In attempting to define the problem, it isimportant to recognize that efforts are now underway to repositionpedophilia in order to reduce some of the stigma that is associated withthis problem. Significantly, Murray (2 does believe that both pedophilia and child molestation may be more commonamong those who have been sexually abused in their childhood and thatpedophilia runs a chronic course with many pedophiles exhibiting specificpreference for children of one sex or the other and children in specificage ranges. About two-thirds of sexually molested children are females, usually between the agesof 8 and 11. This is because many cases of pedophiliacmaltreatment of children are not reported; many such cases are activelysuppressed by the child, the abuser, and the child or abuser's family andsignificant others or caretakers (Kuznetzov, Perison, & Harry, 1992).However, Bradford (2 ) offered some data indicative of the extent of thisproblem, noting that about 6 percent of all female children and 1 to 3 percent of all male children are believed to be victims of sexual abuse inchildhood. The authors of the contested studycalled for restriction of the term "childhood sexual abuse" to situationsin which only those minors who definitively do not want a sexual experienceor experience that contact negatively can be identified. When the construct "pedophile" was differentiated from theconcept "sex offender against a minor," the latter group was found to haveexperienced early disturbances in mother relationships and to be primarilynonviolent and not aroused by sexually aggressive stimuli involvingchildren. The results indicated that homosexual-bisexual pedophiles had a later birth order than heterosexual pedophilesand that this effect was primarily the result of the homosexual-bisexualgroup being born later among their brothers. Freund, Watson, and Dickey (199 ) explored the reliability of thenotion that pedophilia is caused by sexual abuse in childhood. Zuriff, G. Theresearchers employed charts of 338 pedophiles assessed between 1988 and1994 at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto, Canada. Gender differentiation of the fully admittinghomosexual pedophiles was significantly weaker than that of both groups ofcontrols. (2 1). Battling deviant behavior. Specifically, Bentovim (1993) contendsthat boys commonly compensate for rejection and nonsexual physical abuse byfinding emotional closeness through sexuality, which may account for theirlater sexual interest in children. (2 ). Freund, K., Watson, R., & Dickey, R. Such treatment is most effective for "hands off"pedophiles who engage in exhibitionism, voyeurism, and other acts that donot include direct physical contact with the victim. Theyexamined retrospective self-reports of 344 males, of whom 77 wereheterosexual pedophiles, 54 were homosexual pedophiles, 51 werenonpedophilic sex offenders against children, 36 were sex offenders againstphysically mature females, 75 were heterosexual paid volunteers whoerotically preferred mature females, and 51 were homosexual clients whopreferred mature males. A., &Miner, M. Freund and Cuban (1993) also pointed out that among the self-admitting pedophiles, self-reports indicated more frequent fantasizingabout children or pubescents than about physically mature males or females. Alternatively, it is possible that paraphilias are expressions ofhostility in which sexual fantasies or unusual sexual acts become a meansof obtaining revenge for a childhood trauma. The body shape and size of children maytrigger memories of their own childhood experiences. When sexual activity occurs, it ofteninvolves oral sex or touching the genitals of the child or the perpetrator. These researchers assessed the rates of AxisI and Axis II psychiatric disorders as defined in DSM-IV, in a group of 45male pedophiliac sex offenders. Personality correlates ofpedophilia. pedophiles are almost always male, but they can be of any age or sexual orientation; . When boysare victims, sexual abuse may take place outside of the home and theperpetrator may be a stranger. They found that rapists of adults areyounger, more likely single, non-White, more criminally oriented, tendingto use more violence in their crimes, and mostly attacking nonrelated womenin the victim's homes than child sex offenders. De Silva (1999) further states that in 9 percent of cases, thepedophile is known to the child, and 15 percent (possibly more) arerelatives of the victim. De Silva (1999) also examined sexual variations in an effort toprovide a comprehensive definition of paraphilias. CQ Researcher, 3(2), 29. Pedophilia, exhibitionism,fetishism, frotteurism (i.e., touching and rubbing against a nonconsentingperson), sexual masochism/sadism, voyeurism, and transvestic fetishism, arethe most common manifestations of paraphilia. The subjects, who participated inresidential or outpatient sex offender treatment programs, were identifiedby using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. (1999). (1992). (2 ). (1992). Bentovim, A. Equally significant is the factthat there is often a substantial increase in psychopathology among victimsof childhood sexual abuse and this psychopathology is manifested at timesin the form of pedophilia or other inappropriate behaviors with youngchildren. Conditioning combines with some predisposingfactor, such as difficulty forming intimate sexual relationships, poor self-esteem, or even a history of childhood abuse. Bradford (2 ) as well as Goode (1994) have bothpointed out that generalized psychotherapeutic counseling interventionsappear to have little or no impact on ameliorating this problem.Pharmacotherapeutic treatment via drugs that alter the levels of serotoninin the brain appear to have enjoyed some success in diminishing pedophiliaand other deviant sexual behaviors in some offenders. Itis theorized by Green (1993) that young victims of sexual abuse may bephysiologically as well as psychologically sensitized to the eroticism oftheir abuse. Kuznetzov, A., Pierson, T. Guttman, C. Behaviorists, in contrast, believe that paraphiliabegins via a process of conditioning in which nonsexual objects becomesexually arousing when they are frequently and repeatedly associated with apleasurable sexual activity. Results demonstrated that gender differentiation of even the fullyadmitting heterosexual pedophiles was significantly weaker than that of theheterosexual controls. Pedophilia may be homosexualor heterosexual. Murray (2 ), for example, believes that in many instances,pedophiles do prefer to target victims that are about the same age thatthey were when they were sexually victimized. J. Psychosexual trauma. Why do adults sexually abuse children? Corrections Today, 59(5), 24-29. In some state prisonsystems, one-third of inmates are sex offenders, with two-thirds havingcommitted their crimes against children. Murray (2 ) also claims that in most cases, pedophiles do notrequire penetration. De Silva, W. Okami, P., & Goldberg, A. (1999). Men who sexually assaultchildren and adolescents are often over 3 years of age, are typicallymarried, have fathered children, and have encountered less resistance amongtheir victims than rapists. A subgroup of these offenders displayed the passive, lonely, andshy profile thought to be associated with the pedophile, although suchtendencies were not clinically significant and were similar to profilesfound among other types of sex offenders. Criminal consequences ofchildhood sexual victimization. Archives of SexualBehavior, 19(6), 557-569. Goode, E. Of the sample, 57 were heterosexuals, 68 werehomosexuals, and 45 were bisexuals. The authors found that early childhood sexualabuse does not uniquely increase an individual's risk for later delinquentand adult criminal behavior though such victims were at increased risk ofarrest as a juvenile for being a runaway. Similar comments were advanced by Green (1993), who has contended thatvictims of childhood sexual abuse are more likely than nonvictims of thatabuse to manifest sexual huyperarousal and sexually aggressive behaviorwith a tendency to repeat and reenact sexual victimization as adults. In describing adult male pedophiles, Bentovim (1993) asserts thatmemories of childhood sexual abuse are likely to intermingle withdeveloping sexuality and to be reinforced by stereotypes of male roles.The combination of a reaction to powerlessness and sexualization associatedwith the abuse may lead to an active need to find someone to take overtheir own traumatized self-representation. Specifically, de Silva (1999) states that pedophilia involves intensesexual urges and sexual activity with prepubescent children. Doermann (1999) suggests thatin this theoretical understanding of paraphilia, the persistent, repetitivenature of the disorder is caused by an inability to erase the underlyingtrauma completely. Most victimsare female and the perpetrator is usually known to the victim. Review of Literature Introduction The purpose of this review of literature is to examine the currentstate of research centered on the definition, incidence, causes, effects,and treatment of pedophilia. A., & Harry, B. 2. (1993). BritishMedical Journal, 3 7(6897), 144-146. Sexual perversions. Deficient erotic genderdifferentiation in pedophilia: A follow-up. 4. Journal of the American Academy of Child andAdolescent Psychiatry, 32(5), 89 -9 3. As Goode (1994) points out, in 1993 the National Institute of MentalHealth spent $125.3 million in research on depression, as compared to $1.2million on sex offender research. Greenberg, D. Childmolesters come from all walks of life and socioeconomic groups, agecohorts, and may be a member of either gender. A more encompassing definition of pedophilia is provided by Doermann(1999), who positions pedophilia among variants of sexual perversion, orconditions in which sexual excitement or orgasm is associated with acts orimagery that are considered unusual within a culture. Doermann (1999) suggests that psychologists generallytheorize that the paraphilias represent a regression to or a fixation at anearlier level of psychosexual development resulting in a repetitive patternof immature sexual behavior. The vast majority ofpedophiles are believed not to force their attentions on the child, but todepend on persuasion, guile, and friendship. Green (1993) maintains that there are two contrasting adaptive stylesin sexual abuse victims. Bradford (2 ) asserts that medications, including antiandrogen,hormonal drugs, and serotonin reuptake inhibitors have shown some promisein reducing pedophiliac acting out behaviors when the paraphilia is gradedas mild or moderate. Pedophilia may be construed as "less harmful" to the childwhen it does not involve physical contact, but the vast majority of studiesreviewed herein and contained in the larger body of literature from whichthese references were selected, does not support the notion that pedophiliais unaccompanied by harmful results which impact upon both the child andthe abuser. (1994). The average incarcerated pedophile reports being arrested for only one out of every 3 molestations, while the average non- incarcerated pedophile molests 117 victims, most of whom do not report the event; . Whether the sexual offenderis situational or chronic is less important than whether or not theoffender, through his or her own actions, does lasting damage to his or hervictims. A comparison ofsexual victimizations in the childhoods of pedophiles and hebophiles.Journal of Forensic Sciences, 38, 432-436. Green, A. Definitions of Pedophilia For the purposes of this study, pedophilia is generally understood asthe sexual attraction of an adult to an individual who has not reachedsexual maturity. (1994). Edition 1, 2596-2599. Specifically, the pedophile maytarget a child who reminds him or her of powerlessness and can be made tofeel the powerlessness once experienced by the pedophile. Redefining pedophilia to avoid stigmatization appears to make littlesense. (1994). Does sexual abuse inchildhood cause pedophilia: An exploratory study. In total,17 of the male pedophiles had sufficient sibling information to beincluded in the analyses. Freund, et al (199 ),therefore concluded that the interdependence of their data renders thereliability of self-reported childhood sexual victimization by pedophilesquestionable. Other data presented by Vernon(1997) that illuminate the incidence and significance of the probleminclude: . Excessive alcohol intake. U.S. These results suggest that the genderdifferentiation of pedophiles may also be associated with its causalantecedents. Widom, C. Those who are attracted to boys usually prefer children somewhatolder. P. Alternatively, menwith poor self-esteem and considerable anxieties about identity andcapacity may perceive sexual activities with children as easier, with lessresistance to overcome, and less chance of rejection. (1999). (1999). Child Abuse and Neglect, 18(4), 3 6-319. Psychiatric comorbidity in pedophilic offenders.American Journal of Psychiatry, 156(5), 786-789. UNESCO Courier,September, 43-45. As Bagely, et al (1994) and others have noted, victims of sexual abusewho experience this trauma in their childhood are more likely than theirpeers who are left unmolested (either physically or otherwise) to becomepedophiles or sexual offenders as they mature. The question of whether or not the pedophile who has been a victim ofchildhood sexual abuse is primarily attracted to children of roughly thesame age as the pedophile was when first abused, remains unanswered by theliterature. Hebophilespreferred children who were between 13 and 16 years of age, whereaspedophiles chose children 12 years of age or younger as their victims. Sections of the review will be focused on eachof these inter-related concerns. The authorsconcluded that Axis-I and Axis-II comorbidity rates are high in thispopulation, suggesting the potential for a causal relationship or at leastan association between pedophilia and other psychiatric disorders. they tend to live alone or with a parent, are often unemployed or in a low-paying job, and have difficulty forming adult relationships; . Journal of AbnormalPsychology, 1 6(2), 331-336. A number of studies have suggested that this is indeed thecase. Murray, J. Penetration is less likely with youngerchildren and perpetrators' ages range from teens to mid-life. News & WorldReport, 117(11), 74-76. The results of thestudy indicated that 93 percent of the subjects met the criteria for anAxis-I disorder than pedophilia. Approximately 4 to 6 percent of pedophiles are sadists and extremely dangerous to children; . When it is demanded, older children are often thetarget and threats or force may be employed. Behavior modification techniques tended to predominate in theseprograms, with aversive conditioning and social skills training commontechniques employed in facilitating more appropriate adaptations. A report in the CQ Researcher (What makes a child..., 1993) statedthat studies of child molesters have yielded data on what characterizespedophiles and incestuous persons (who may be one and the same). Doermann (1999) also notesthat a paraphiliac may have more than one paraphilia, and that paraphiliamay result in a variety of problems such as guilt, shame, depression,isolation and impairment in capacity for normal sexual and socialrelations. C., Coleman, E., Ohlerking, F., Christenson, G. Research into the specific mechanisms that shape victimtargeting and choice is also indicated. Pedophilia and the culture wars. The question of why an adult sexually abuses children was explored byBentovim (1993). (1997). Freund, K., & Kuban, M. G.E. The treatment of sexual deviation using apharmacological approach. E. Summary and Conclusion This review of literature has described the incidence, causes, andeffects of pedophilia. Such an effort, says Zuriff (2 ),flies in the face of all of the empirical and methodologically soundresearch conducted to date. It is clear that additional research must be conducted to determinewhat leads a victim of childhood sexual abuse into adult pedophiliacactivities. Those who are attracted to girls appear to prefer 8 to 1 year-olds. The PublicInterest, Winter, 29-32. (1997).Pedophilia, sexual orientation, and birth order. The literature does suggest that pedophiles and child molesters sharesome characteristics. Pedophiliac behavior usually begins in thelate teenage years and may in some cases progress from simply looking atthe child to touching or undressing the child, exposing the pedophile's owngenitalia, and fondling the child. More recent data on the incidence of pedophilia was presented byVernon (1997), who stated that as of the mid-199 s, there were more than43,522 child molesters in state prisons, while 8 percent of all convictedchild molesters serve no prison time and are left to roam free in society.Very few of the remaining 2 percent who do serve time receive sentences ofmore than a single year. As these young victims mature and begin to seek out self-initiated erotic experiences, they may in fact focus upon children asobjects of sexual arousal. The authors hypothesized that erotic gender differentiation - thedifference between arousal caused by nude females versus that caused bynude males of the erotically preferred age bracket - appeared to be lackingor deficient in pedophiles. A second study by Freund and Kuban (1993) provided follow-up on thestudy described above. British Medical Journal,318(7184), 654-655. Additionally, low self-concept and higher-than-average IQ also appear to be associated with purepedophilia. Further analysis demonstrated, however, thatpedophiles who admitted having an erotic interest in children significantlymore often claimed that they had been sexually abused as children then didpedophiles who did not admit having such feelings. They noted that the slippage oflegal and moral constructs into operational criteria and researchmethodology in this field have created impediments to sound professionalconsensus. The problem is of particular importance because of the rise of theInternet, which ahs created an anonymous environment in which childpornography can be readily disseminated and predators who target childrenfor sexual assault and contact of any kind can function with relativesecurity (Guttman, 1999). To meet the APA's diagnostic criteria, a pedophile must be 16years or over and at least 5 years older than the victim. A study by Greenberg, Bradford, and Curry (1993) examined 135pedophiles and 43 hebophiles who admitted to their offenses. Sociocultural and/or physiological factors. Incontrast, says Bentovim (1993), boys externalize their experiences of abuseand flashbacks related to traumatic experience and memories of abusive actsshape boys' sexual activities. they usually start having or fantasizing about sexual relationships with children at about age 18 and may be drawn to children because they are uncomfortable around adults and/or fear adult sexuality; . (1993). 6. Most pedophiles are heterosexual and are oftenmarried with their own children, although they are believed to have maritalor sexual difficulties or problems with alcohol misuse. The Journal of Sex Research, 37(3), 248-261. Victim to abuser: Mentalhealth and behavior sequels of child sexual abuse in a community survey ofyoung adult males. Victim age as abasis for profiling sex offenders. However, the literature reveals that this generalizeddefinition is not fully encompassing of all the variants of pedophilia.Mosby's Medical, Nursing, & Allied Health Dictionary (Pedophilia, 1998)defines the term as an abnormal interest in children, or, in psychiatry, apsychosexual disorder in which the fantasy or act of engaging in sexualactivity with prepubertal children is the preferred or exclusive means ofachieving sexual excitement and gratification. Vernon (1997) also makes note of the fact that 3 to 5 percent ofchild sexual molestations are perpetuated by juveniles. In essence, Bogaert, et al(1997) maintain that homosexual men who are also pedophiles may be victimsof childhood sexual abuse at the hands of their older male siblings andthat this early abuse may contribute to their own actions as adults. Between 1988 and 199 , the population ofincarcerated child molesters increased by 48 percent. H. Edition 5. De Silva (1999) statesthat each and all of the various paraphilias, including pedophilia, aremore common in males than in females. Bentovim (1993) also claims that the distinction which is made betweenfixated pedophiles (who emerge from childhood or adolescence with childrenas their main sexual objects) and regressed pedophiles (who have normalrelationships until a stressful event pushes them toward children), may bemore apparent than real. Equally significant, saysMurray (2 ), is that pedophiles also tend to target victims of their owngender though this variable tends to be moderated by adult sexualpreference which is shaped by a number of other equally significantvariables. The Journal of Sex Research, 29(3), 297-329. Incidence of Pedophilia Determining the true extent of pedophilia is a difficult and at timesalmost impossible task. (1993). Archives of Sexual Behavior,22(6), 619-629.
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