Dr Rick

Psychological profile of pedophiles and child molesters.
J Psychol 2000 Mar;134(2):211-24 Murray JB
Department of Psychology, St. John's University, Jamaica, NY 11439, USA.
Pedophiles and child molesters share some characteristics. Most are male, and they can be heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. Some prefer adult sex partners but choose children because they are available and vulnerable. The sexual abuse perpetrated may be a 1-time incident and may consist only of fondling. Penetration is unlikely with young children. Perpetrators' ages range from teens to midlife. Most victims are girls, and the perpetrator usually is a relative, friend, or neighbor. The home of the victim is often the setting for the incident. When boys are victims, sexual abuse may take place outside the home, and perpetrators may be strangers. Perpetrators of sexual abuse of children often claim that they themselves were victims of childhood sexual abuse. Psychological profiles are helpful but are compromised partly because many perpetrators are prisoners and control groups are lacking for this research.

Dr Rick

The discriminative validity of a phallometric test for pedophilic interests among adolescent sex offenders against children.
Psychol Assess 2000 Sep;12(3):319-27 Seto MC; Lalumiere ML; Blanchard R
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Michael_Seto@camh.net.
The authors examined the responses of adolescent sex offenders against children on a phallometric test of pedophilic interests. Participants were 40 adolescent sex offenders against children, 75 young adult sex offenders against children, and 39 young adult comparison participants. The responses of adolescents with female victims resembled those of comparison participants; adolescents with any male victims had larger relative responses to child stimuli than comparison participants. Young adult offenders, regardless of victim sex, had larger relative responses to child stimuli than comparison participants. Using a cut score of 0 (indicating equal or greater arousal to children than to adults), sensitivity was 42% for adolescents with any male victims, and specificity was 92% for the comparison participants. Results suggest phallometric testing can identify pedophilic interests among these adolescent sex offenders.

Dr Rick

Phallometric testing with sexual offenders: limits to its value.
Clin Psychol Rev 2000 Oct;20(7):807-22 Marshall WL; Fernandez YM
Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
In many settings phallometric evaluations of sexual arousal are routinely conducted with sexual offenders and these evaluation procedures also serve as research instruments. There are, however, problems with the psychometric bases of these assessments, and studies reporting their use have so many idiosyncratic features that comparisons are of dubious value. Evidence concerning the reliability and criterion validity of phallometric testing leaves a lot to be desired, although the research has suggested an important but limited value in predicting subsequent recidivism.

Dr Rick

Yes, phallometry testing confirms that I am a post-slut.

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Friar Bellows

We (taxpayers) should fund a program which allows pedophiles to seek free psychotherapy for their affliction without fear of being ostracised by their community or investigated by the police. This, I believe, would decrease the likelihood of them turning from pedophiles (the thought) to child molestors (the act). It can't hurt to try it out and the potential benefits to society are huge.

Dacurl930

I was watch The Shield the other night and one of the cops came up with an interesting theory concerning petophilia (though I doubt he believed it). He said that petophilia, like homosexuality, might be genetic. And certain people are naturally attracted to young children.
I don't know. To me this seem to kind of make sense (in a sick and twisted kind of way ). What do you guys think?

[ March 22, 2002: Message edited by: Dacurl930 ]</p>

Coragyps

It couldn't hurt. The present system here in Texas requires child-sex offenders to register with the police and have their name, offense, and photograph in the local newspaper every time they move. That sounds all well and good, but the offenses under that rule include a person 18 or older having sexual contact with a person three years younger. A kid I sort of know was 18 when he had sex with a very much consenting, eager 15 year old girl. Someone, a jealous girlfriend, I think, finked on them, and he ended up in the pen with his picture in the paper as a "child molester."
There has to be a better system than that! (Of course, this state is also the execution capital of the Western World, and some poor schmuck at our local penitentary got 60 years for possession of one joint while he was in the joint. So I don't expect it to be all that fair.)

Francois Tremblay

Tsk. Bunch of bigots. It's not because some people have do attractions that you have to treat them as crazy. Homosexuality was considered a mental illness too you know. Get on with the program.

Corwin

There is a fundamental difference between homosexuality and pedophilia.

Homosexuality is a sexual/romantic attraction to your own gender.

Pedophilia is a sexual attraction to dominating those even more helpless than you are.

One isn't a problem, the other is. Care to guess which is which?

Dr Rick

Cognitive therapies, including counseling and psychotherapy, have been found to be ineffective when used alone to treat pedophilia. They appear to only be useful as adjuncts to pharmacologic and surgical hormonal manipulation.