Elevated rates of atypical handedness in paedophilia: Theory and implications

Abstract

Multiple factors determine handedness including genetics, prenatal stress and post-natal environmental conditions. Atypical handedness, whether manifest as increased sinistrality or decreased strength of lateral preference, has been noted in a wide variety of populations with neuropathology. Those with atypical sexual preferences, specifically paedophilia, also manifest reduced rates of right-handedness. This paper uses the largest sample of phallometrically assessed men to date to establish the pattern of atypical handedness in paedophilia. Specifically, whereas prior research has largely characterized participants dichotomously as right-handed or non-right-handed and/or used self-report of writing hand, this paper expands upon such reports by using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory's laterality quotient. Participants' handedness and phallometrically assessed sexual preference were analyzed both as continuous and categorical variables, and the responses of those scoring in the range of ambiguous-handedness were evaluated to ascertain whether they were ambiguously handed or more accurately described as mixed-handed. Results indicated those producing scores in the range of ambiguous-handedness demonstrated response patterns consistent with ambiguous-handedness, rather than mixed-handedness. Paedophiles demonstrated high rates of non-right-handedness primarily manifested as sinistrality, whereas those who had a sexual preference for pubescent children evidenced increased ambiguous-handedness. Results support a view of ambiguous-handedness as less pathological than previously hypothesized, and of a neurodevelopmental origin of paraphilic sexual preferences.

Are There Any Biomarkers for Pedophilia and Sexual Child Abuse? A Review

“…8.8%; c 2 (1, N = 1,712) = 13.62, p < .001]. Interestingly, the laterality quotient also was significantly associated with the subjects' pedophilic phallometric index score (39).…”

“…Babchishin et al, for instance, reported any congenital malformation in 47 out of 654 offenders (7.2%) (35). Fazio et al pointed out that, even though they found a significant relationship between handedness and pedophilia, handedness accounted for only about 0.2% of the variance in pedophilia (39). However, one has to keep in mind that, considering the low base rate of pre-and perinatal anomalies, their explanatory power is rather limited.…”

Sensitivity and Specificity of the Phallometric Test for Hebephilia

“…The phallometric Pedophilia Index was more accurate in distinguishing pedophiles from teleiophiles than the Hebephilia Index was in distinguishing hebephiles from teleiophiles. Such a pattern would be expectable: Empirically, features and correlates of hebephilia frequently fall midway between those of pedophilia and teleiophilia [28], including in terms of IQ [29], handedness [18,[29][30][31], physical height [32], "minor physical anomalies" [33], and histories of school-grade failure or special education placement [34]. Moreover, because prepubescent children are more distinct from adults than are pubescent children, pedophilia would be expected to be more distinct from teleiophilia than is hebephilia, and therefore, easier to distinguish from teleiophilia.…”

Minor Physical Anomalies as a Window into the Prenatal Origins of Pedophilia

“…Given the current findings regarding the prevalence of craniofacial anomalies among pedophiles, the relationship between MPAs and non-right-handedness was explored, the latter marker having been previously linked to pedophilia (Cantor et al, 2004(Cantor et al, , 2005bFazio, Lykins, & Cantor, 2014). Consistent with the patternofresultsdescribedthusfar,morecraniofacialanomaliescorresponded to higher rates of non-right-handedness.…”