repoman

I was just wondering if anyone has reference to actual studies about whether homosexual child molesters are actually attracted to full grown men and vice versa.
I remember that some academics did erection tests (sensor band around penis while watching gay and or lesbian porn) for a control group and people who were homophobes. No surprise, the homophobes (some of whom were gaybashers) did have increased blood flow to the penis while watching gay porn.
Have any of these researchers also done the same research about whether pedophiles are attracted to grownups of the same sex they molest? I am not sure how to best research this topic. Personally, i think if the results were non-PC they may be very hard to find.
Perhaps the RC church should do these erection tests on all potential recruits!
Another idea, the one thing about homosexual pedophiles is that little boys have more feminine characteristics than are generally acknowledged. They are small, weak, their voices are still high and their faces haven't gotten very masculine yet. This must have some effect on the pedophiles. I mean if a staight guy is gonna have prison sex he's not gonna try to mount the alpha male.

Corwin

What the hell are you talking about? (aside from dredging up a bunch of old negative gay stereotypes?)

x-member

I recall reading a skeptical article about the use of the device which measures blood-flow to the penis. As always, I forget where I read it

The jist of the thing was that in a control study of people who are non-pedophiles, the measuring device showed positive results when the group was showen child pornography. If people who are not pedophiles create positive results, then it isn't a very good means by which to diagnose pedophillia.

That's about all I have to offer on the topic. I don't 100% recall where I read that. I think it might have been off of <a href="http://www.skepdic.com" target="_blank">www.skepdic.com</a> but I'm not sure.

Jon

Megatron

Child molestation has little or nothing to do with what makes your dick get hard.

It's a product of a disturbed mind, and it's not truly about sex, as much as it's about control and domination.

repoman

Jon,
If your memory is right, that is indeed scary. I wouldn't have thought that non pedos would be physically stimulated by child porn. If that is so, I can see why it is a good idea to get it out of society. But do you remember if the attraction crossed gender from what they identified as their adult orientation?

Corwin,
I am not trying to dredge up stereotypes, I am trying to get some statistics. The study I mentioned exposes violent homophobes as having homosexual desires, of which much political currency has been gained. Unless you are afraid that recent objective studies about the sexuality of pedophiles will reveal something you don't want to see, what's the problem?

Now if Jon is correct, it may indeed be that many men can be attracted, to a degree, at least physically to kids (what gender for what men he didn't say). So then the question may be what mental, social, moral and physical factors influence whether or not men molest kids.
Many people say that enforced celibacy (i.e. catholic church) leads to a backup of sexual energy, well why are so many boys not girls molested? Is it mostly because of access? I don't know? but why, Corwin, is just asking these questions offensive to you?

x-member

I don't recall the details of the study. I shall search for it tonight.

The conclusion isn't that men are attracted to children. The conclusion is that blood flow to the penis is not an accurate measurment of attraction.

Hell, I have a hardon when I wake up every morning. Usually I'm thinking of breakfast. It does not follow that I am sexually attracted to Egg McMuffins.

Jon

repoman

Zero Angel, I think what you said may between 80-90% of the truth. I really don't think that pedophilia is at all like adult-adult sex or like kids playing doctor together, the unequal power balance is very frightening.
It's just that I would rather have the stat info to look at rather than having to trust common knowledge that may be 80-90% correct.

Clarice

American Pie 3: Jon "has" breakfast.

Here's the skepdic article on the penile plethysmograph: <a href="http://skepdic.com/penilep.html" target="_blank">http://skepdic.com/penilep.html</a>

My take is that people are hardwired to be easily aroused (helps propagate your genes, don't you know), and that people in general may have an increase of blood flow to the genitals when shown material to do with sex.

I forget where I read it, but this made sense to me - you may get somewhat aroused by watching two animals copulating, but that doesn't mean you want to have sex with an animal.

repoman

Well, waking up with an erection is just autonomic. I don't fully agree that having an erection while looking at child porn is meaningless. It may be just the nudity, and a crosswired association with adult porno that could cause the chub. Or it could be any number of things, I just can't write it off so easily.

Dr Rick

Differentiation of homicidal child molesters, nonhomicidal child molesters, and nonoffenders by phallometry.
Am J Psychiatry 2000 Nov;157(11):1847-50
Firestone P; Bradford JM; Greenberg DM; Nunes KL
Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Canada. fireston@uottawa.ca.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of phallometry to discriminate among homicidal child molesters, nonhomicidal child molesters, and a comparison group of nonoffenders. METHOD: Twenty-seven child molesters who had committed or had attempted a sexually motivated homicide, 189 nonhomicidal child molesters, and 47 nonoffenders were compared on demographic variables and psychometrically determined responses to aural descriptions of sexual vignettes. Two phallometric indexes were used: the pedophile index and the pedophile assault index. The pedophile index was computed by dividing the subject's highest response to an aural description of sex with a "consenting" child by his highest response to description of sex with a consenting adult. The pedophile assault index was computed by dividing the subject's highest response to an aural description of assault involving a child victim by his highest response to description of sex with a "consenting" child. RESULTS: ...Homicidal and nonhomicidal child molesters had significantly higher pedophile index scores than nonoffenders. Significantly more homicidal child molesters [52%]...and nonhomicidal child molesters [46%]...than nonoffenders [28%]...had pedophile index scores equal to or greater than 1.0... Within-group analyses revealed that of the three groups, only the nonhomicidal child molesters exhibited a significant difference between their pedophile index scores and their pedophile assault index scores; their pedophile index scores were higher. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with past research...the pedophile index is useful in differentiating homicidal and nonhomicidal child molesters from nonoffenders and that the pedophile assault index is able to differentiate homicidal child molesters from nonhomicidal child molesters and nonoffenders.

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Sensitivity and specificity of the phallometric test for pedophilia in nonadmitting sex offenders.
Psychol Assess 2001 Mar;13(1):118-26
Blanchard R; Klassen P; Dickey R; Kuban ME; Blak T
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health-Clarke Division, 250 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R8, Canada. Ray_Blanchard@camh.net.
The specificity of phallometric testing for pedophilia has been calculated using sex offenders against adult women. Does the offender's actual number of prior sexual contacts with women affect such estimates? To answer this, the authors' studied 82 male sex offenders against adult women, 172 offenders against unrelated children, and 70 offenders against their own biological children or stepchildren. Phallometric testing included visual and auditory depictions of prepubescent, pubescent, and adult males and females. The results for offenders against women showed that those who had had sexual contact with the greatest number of women (consenting or nonconsenting) had the lowest probability of being diagnosed as pedophilic. Specificity, calculated for those who had sexual contact with the most women and thus the most evidence of attraction to them, was 96%. Sensitivity, calculated analogously for men with the most offenses against children, was 61%.

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